Bolo de Faca

Description: Cake made with bread dough, sugar, margarine, lard, flour, olive oil, eggs, nuts, lemon zest, cinnamon and fennel to taste. It has the shape of a classic bread, having the light yellow color of the bread and having protrusions due to the pieces of nuts. It can also be made with just almonds, instead of walnuts.

Region: Algarve.

Other denominations: Bread with Dried Fruits.

Special feature: Sweet bread with nuts.

History: Algarve sweets are classified according to their ingredients and origin. Thus, in the mountainous areas, the cakes are mostly large and made from bread dough. A slightly finer fig-based pastry is also made. The confectionery, called fine sweets, based on eggs and almonds, is found mainly in coastal areas. This cake, as can be seen from the recipe, is a typical cake from the mountains.

Use: As a treat, for breakfast and snack.

Know-how: All the other ingredients are added to the already sourdough dough. Knead well, tend the cakes and let them rise (feint) for an hour. They then bake in a wood oven.

Source: Produtos Tradicionais Portugueses, Lisboa, DGDR, 2001