Pao De Lo ~ Portuguese Sponge Cake

Pao de Lo is a fluffy soft sponge cake that hails from Portugal. If there is a Portuguese bakery in your town, chances are good that they sell it. It’s often a very tall cake, baked in a tube pan–though not always. It does not use any oil or butter, even though it’s so soft and fluffy one would think it’s loaded with these. It does however use a lot of eggs, and the flavor is pleasantly sweet with tones of vanilla.

The texture is classic sponge. It’s moist but not velvety moist. The cake melts in your mouth yet it has some spring. It’s not super sweet, so you can easily accompany it with fruit, whipped cream or ice cream without it being overwhelming. For this reason, it makes a wonderful blank canvas for any cake creation no matter the frosting or filling.

And what’s really sweet about this cake is it seems to get more moist with time. The top softens into a wonderfully caramelly layer of cotton that you want to peel and eat on its own. And the inside remains soft and cottony, the flavor more developed.

You will be amazed how delightful this simple cake is. Whip one up for your next gathering and serve it as is, or transform it into a stunning showpiece dessert your guests will never forget. After all, it’s your masterpiece!

Portuguese Sponge Cake (Pao de Lo)

A super soft, fluffy sponge cake that is perhaps the easiest of all to make. No oil or butter, just lots of fresh eggs.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Portuguese

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 9 eggs room temperature
• 250 grams sugar 1¼ cups
• 1¼ teaspoons vanilla
• 200 grams all purpose flour 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Lightly grease and flour a 12 inch tube pan. If you are using a pan without a tube in the middle, line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a stand mixer using the whip attachment, beat room temperature eggs for 5 minutes or until thickened and lighter in color. Gradually add sugar in a fine stream and beat for another 5 minutes or until thick and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.
• In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Sift over the beaten egg mixture in 3 or 4 stages, folding in by hand with a wire whisk after each addition. Do not over mix so as not to deflate the batter. Pour into the prepared tube pan and smooth top gently. Bake at 400°F/200°C for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F/177°C and bake for another 25-30 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
• Turn cake upside down and allow to cool almost completely, about 1½-2 hours. To remove cake from pan, carefully slide a small serrated knife down the side and saw around the edge to loosen. Do the same for the middle tube part. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with powdered sugar on top or with whipped cream and berries.

Keyword Portuguese, sponge cake