Traditional Portuguese Christmas Honey Cake (Bolo de Mel)
Welcome to the Sharp Blades blog, where we combine our love of great homemade food with our enthusiasm for quality cutlery. We encourage you to use our traditional Bolo de Mel recipe to bring a little Portuguese culture into your home this Christmas. This dense, moist, and intensely spiced treat is more than just a honey cake; it is a Portuguese Christmas mainstay that develops flavour during the weeks before the festivities. It's the ideal project for your preferred Sharp Blades knife, guaranteeing crisp, lovely slices to wow your visitors. One slice at a time, let's make memories.
Ingredients:
500g all-purpose flour
250g dark brown sugar
250ml high-quality honey
200ml strong black coffee (cooled)
150ml Port wine or ruby Port
3 large eggs
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g ground almonds
100g mixed candied fruit (chopped)
100g walnuts or almonds (chopped)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Spices: 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Necessary Utensils: (Sharp Blades Recommended!)
Large mixing bowls
Whisk
Saucepan
Fine grater (for zesting)
9-inch (23cm) round or loaf cake pan, greased and lined
Cooling rack
Our Star Tool: A long, sharp Chef's Knife from Sharp Blades for perfectly chopping nuts and cleanly slicing the dense cake.
Preparation Time:
Preparation: 30 minutes
Baking: 60-70 minutes
Cooling & Maturing: Minimum 4 hours, best after 2-3 days wrapped.
Detailed Preparation Instructions
Preheat & Prepare: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line your cake pan with parchment paper.
Combine Dry Ingredients:
Combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, baking soda, all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper), and salt in a big basin. Put aside.
Make the Syrup Base:
Put the honey, dark brown sugar, cooled coffee, and Port wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Gently stir until the mixture is heated and cohesive and the sugar melts. Avoid boiling. Take off the heat and mix in the melted butter. Give it five minutes to cool.
Mix Wet Ingredients:
Add the eggs, one at a time, to the heated syrup mixture, making sure to fully incorporate each before adding the next. Add the orange and lemon zest and mix.
To combine the batter:
Gradually add the wet ingredients to the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Fold and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until no dry flour is left. Take care not to mix too much.
Add Fruits and Nuts:
Carefully incorporate the chopped candied fruit and nuts into the batter until they are uniformly distributed.
Bake:
Fill the pan with batter. A skewer placed into the centre should come out clean after 60 to 70 minutes of baking. The cake will be aromatic and black.
Cool & Mature:
Allow the cake to cool fully on a wire rack inside the pan. After it has cooled, securely cover it with foil or cling film. The enchantment of this cake occurs while it is at rest. Before slicing it with your sharpest Sharp Blades knife for a clean cut, let it grow in a cold area for at least a day, preferably two or three.
Nutritional Info (Per Slice - based on 16 slices)
Calories: 320 kcal
Carbs: 52g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 11g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 33g
Note: Nutritional information is an estimate calculated using generic ingredient data. Values may vary based on specific brands and measurements used.
Last Advice and Serving Recommendation:
Make your Bolo de Mel at least one week prior to Christmas for a genuine experience. To enable the flavours to mingle and develop, store it in a cold, dark area and wrap it well. When it's time to serve, cut it thinly with a sharp, non-serrated chef's knife to show off the ideal texture and avoid crumbling. Are you trying to find the ideal tools? Discover the perfect blade for all of your Christmas baking and festive meal preparation, from slicing nuts to carving the lamb, by perusing our Sharp Blades selection of high-quality kitchen blades. A true traditional Portuguese honey cake for the holidays, this is the best simple make-ahead Christmas dessert dish that gets better with time.
