We begged Brazilian writer Euzana Forkan to share this recipe for one of Brazil's most famous cakes, and she obliged.
Bolo de Fubá is synonymous with comfort food in Brazil. It originated in the eighteenth century, during Brazil's colonisation, when the use of wheat flour was restricted, and the flour made from dried corn (fubá) became one of the main alternative ingredients for making cake.
There are many variations of the classic recipe and every family has their own, which can include fubá cake with goiabada (guave paste), creamy fubá cake with cheese, fubá cake with fennel seeds or fubá cake with coconut.
In Brazil, this delicacy is eaten for breakfast or "afternoon tea," although in Brazil, it is always accompanied by a good cup of Brazilian coffee.
Photo: Euzana Forkan
“Bolo de Fubá is synonymous with comfort food in Brazil."
Bolo de Fubá (Brazilian Cornmeal Cake)
Makes one cake
10-12 servings
Ingredients
1 cup fubá* or super-fine cornmeal (140g), plus extra for dusting
1 cup all-purpose flour (140g)
1 tbsp baking powder (14g)
1 cup of caster sugar
200g unsalted butter (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk (240ml)
½ tsp salt (3g)
icing sugar, to dust
goiabada (guava paste), optional
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Generously grease a 10 cup (2.4l) Bundt pan with butter and dust with the cornmeal, tapping out the excess.
Make sure you get every nook to ensure the cake comes out of the pan in one piece.
In a bowl mix together, the flour, fubá, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Whisk the eggs gently in another bowl and set aside.
Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 8 minutes, until the batter is pale and fluffy. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add ½ of the eggs and beat well for 1 minute, and then add the other ½ of the eggs.
Turn the mixer to a low speed, and alternate adding the dry ingredients and the milk. Add ⅓ of the flours and then ½ milk and mix to incorporate. Add the 1/3 of the flour and the remaining milk, mix again to incorporate and lastly add the remaining flours. Mix only to incorporate, avoiding to over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan before inverting it upside down onto a cake plate.
Once the cake is completely cool, use a sieve to dust lightly with icing sugar and serve.
It can be eaten only with some icing sugar dusted on the top, however I like to eat it with goiabada, which is a paste made with guava and sugar.
*Fubá is a very fine flour obtained by milling dry corn
Guava glaze
To make a goiabada glaze for this cake, melt 300g of goiabada with 3 tbsp of water in a
medium saucepan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until you have a pourable consistency.
Pour the glaze evenly over the cake and serve.