Can you choose just one favourite from this list?

Letícia Rocha

Cakes act like an important cultural and historical agent: in Brasil, for instance, historical records show that the first cake we made here was “pão de ló”, a sponge cake that was supposedly brought here by the Portuguese (click here to learn more about the Brazilian culture of baking and offering cakes). It is also the kind of preparation that has more than food ingredients in it: it is about family recipes, care, memories. Check out a selection of 10 emblematic cake recipes that tells a lot about Brazilian cuisine:

Creamy corn cake

An icon of Festas Juninas and Winter (June, July and August), which is the high point of corn harvest in Brazil.

Banana cake

A simple and delicious way to use this fruit, that forms part of the Brazilian daily diet all over the country.

Orange cake

Another example that simplicity can be charming, using a fruit that we always have at home.

Carrot cake with chocolate frosting

When the vegetable meets cacao and make this perfect match a national favourite.

Cornmeal (fubá) cake

It seems ordinary when it comes to the main ingredient, but it is one of the most representative cakes of Brazilian cuisine.

Bridal cake

Made with dried fruit, wine and chocolate, this recipe is a cultural symbol of Pernambuco and needs to be in every wedding there.

Rolled cake

Another representative recipe of Pernambuco’s cuisine. It is a great pride for the locals, who make a point remembering that it is not a roulade, since the slices must be very very thin, both of the dough and of the soft guava filling.

Sprinkles cake

This classic is made with sprinkled chocolate and basic white dough and is an icon of birthday parties of those who grew up  in the 1980’s and the beginning of 1990’s.

Cold coconut cake

Very present in birthday parties during the 1990’s, it tastes better when it is juicy and served cold.

Puba cake

This cake dough is made out of manioc, that is processed in a specific way called “puba”. Since manioc is a staple ingredient in Brazil, this delicacy has a very local taste.