Bridal Cake

INGREDIENTS

CAKE

• 1½ TEACUP OF SEEDLESS RAISINS
• 1 TEACUP OF PORT WINE OR MUSCATEL
• 2 TEACUPS OF PITTED PRUNES
• 1¾ TEACUP OF SUGAR
• 1¼ STICK OF BUTTER
• 5 EGGS
• 2 TEACUPS OF ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 TEACUP OF MILK
• ½ TEACUP OF COCOA POWDER
• 1 TABLESPOON OF BAKING SODA
• 1 TEACUP OF CANDIED FRUITS
• 1½ TABLESPOON OF BAKING POWDER

ICING

• 2 EGG WHITES
• 3 TEACUPS OF POWDERED SUGAR
• JUICE AND ZEST OF 1 LIME

PREPARATION

Put the raisins in the Port wine and allow to soak for at least 24 hours. Cook the prunes with ½ teacup of sugar and ½ teacup of water over low heat until you obtain a thick syrup, stirring occasionally. Mix in a blender and set aside. Mix the butter with the remaining sugar until obtaining a pale cream. Add the yolks, one by one, saving the egg whites – you will whip them until firm later. While continuously beating, slowly add the flour and milk. Next, the cocoa powder, baking soda, candied fruits, prune syrup, and the raisins that were soaking (without the wine). Remove from the beater, beat the egg whites until firm and gently combine them with the batter. Add the baking powder and pour the batter into a pan greased with butter and all-purpose flour. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after you’ve poked the cake with it. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool so you can apply the icing. For the icing, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar and lime zest. Slowly add the juice until the mixture is spongy. Ice the cake and serve. 

IN DETAIL
Chocolate, wine, and fruits make up the cake’s moist interior, which is covered with a meringue and then decorated for weddings – hence its name. It’s also present in other celebrations and many know it as “bolo pernambucano”. Each family usually has its very own recipe, kept behind lock and key and handed down from one generation to the next.