Cavacas (Portuguese Pastry)

Cavacas is a popover-style Portuguese pastry. It is light and airy, and the glaze has a hint of lemon. Delicious!

My friend Ria brought Cavacas to my house when she and her husband visited one day. I have never had it before, and it was love at first bite! It was crusty and sweet on the outside, soft, eggy, and air-pocket-filled on the inside. With a sweet, lemony glaze, it was perfection! I knew immediately that I had to learn how to make them.

Cavacas is a Portuguese pastry. They are essentially dessert popovers and can be baked in muffin or popover tins. Thanks to Maria Lawton, the author of Azorean Greenbean, I don’t have to make a special trip to a Portuguese bakery for these heavenly treats. Her recipe was exactly what I was looking for. I can make them any time I want at home!

The recipe is simple, but it does require a whole lot of mixing. Thank goodness for stand mixers! It does most of the work for you.

Recipe Highlights:  

• To make it, just put all the ingredients into the bowl.
• Mix away for at least 20 minutes.

Cavacas are best eaten fresh. Day on old ones tend to dry out (but I always manage to choke them down, hee hee). If you need to store them, refrigerate them in an airtight container. Let them come to room temp before eating.

Recommended supplies:

Affiliate links. The products I recommend are either what I use, are on my wish list, or come highly rated.)

• Stand mixer—this is larger than the one I have. I would like one this size. It has very good ratings and is reasonably priced.
• Standard-size muffin pans to bake the cavacas in.
• This mini popover pan can be used instead of standard-size muffin pans. The cavities of both pans hold essentially the same capacity.
• Small spatula to spread glaze onto the cavacas. I have this set and use it constantly.

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Cavacas (Portuguese Pastry)

Author: Thao | In Good Flavor Cooking Method:Mixing, Baking Cuisine:Portuguese Courses:Dessert Recipe Keys: B Baking

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 45 minutesTotal time:1 hour 15 minutesServings:12 Servings

Description

Cavacas is a popover-style Portuguese pastry. It is light and airy, and the glaze has a hint of lemon. Delicious!

Ingredients

•  2 cups of flour
•  1 cup of canola or vegetable oil
•  1/2 cup of whole milk
•  8 eggs at room temperature

 Sugar Glaze:

•  2 cups confectioners’ sugar
•  zest of one lemon
•  about 2 tablespoons of milk

Suggested supplies (affiliate links):

• Muffin pan
• Rubber spatula
• Lemon zester

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 ° F.
2. Grease standard-size muffin tins or popover tins.
3. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer (on level 6), beat flour, oil, 1/2 cup milk, and eggs for at least 20 minutes without stopping.  Fill the muffin or popover tins no more than halfway.
4. Place on the middle rack. Bake for about 45 minutes for moist Cavacas and 1 hour for dry Cavacas.
5. Combine all of the glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. I use more than 2 tablespoons of milk. While the cavacas are still warm, spoon the glaze over or submerge each one into the glaze.
6. Best served the same day. They tend to dry out easily.
7. Makes 12 Cavacas.

Note:

• If you use standard-size popover pans, they are bigger in volume than standard-sized muffin pans and mini popover pans. You will yield less in quantity but get larger cavacas. The bake time would also increase due to the size difference.

Keywords:Portuguese dessert, Pastry, Popovers, Cavacas, Lemon Glaze

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