Alentejo style Bolo à la Panja

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 6 eggs
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g flour
• 100 g cornstarch
• 15 g cocoa powder
• 15 g pudding powder, vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 small cans of tangerine(s)
• 1 tbsp jelly (apple)
• 1 pack of pudding powder, vanilla
• 75 ml orange liqueur or juice
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 pack of biscuits (Bolacha Maria), or shortbread biscuits
• ½ cup of cold coffee
• 80 g brown sugar
• 40 g butter
• 25 ml milk
• 1 tbsp syrup (caramel)
• ½ pack of vanilla sugar
• 1 handful of almond flakes, roasted

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 15 minutes

Portuguese mandarin cake with caramel icing

Sponge cakes: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gradually add the sugar. Beat until glossy. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, sift over the mixture, and mix. Carefully fold in the egg whites. Divide the dough in half and mix one half with the custard powder and the other half with the cocoa powder. Place the sponge mixture into a 26 cm springform pan lined with baking paper and smooth the surface. Bake in a preheated oven (electric oven: 200°C, fan oven: 175°C, gas mark 3) for about 30 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool. Filling: Puree the mandarins with the canned juice and jam, then transfer to a saucepan. Mix the custard powder with the liqueur/juice and sugar, then stir into the mandarin puree. Bring the cream to a boil while stirring, then allow to cool slightly. Stir in the sour cream. Place the cocoa sponge cake base on a cake plate and surround it with a cake ring. Spread half of the mandarin cream on top and cover with a layer of butter biscuits. Soak the butter biscuits with coffee so they are fully absorbed but not floating. Spread the second half of the cream on top and place the vanilla sponge cake base on top. Glaze: Heat the butter in a saucepan and caramelize the sugar. It will first become liquid and then caramelized. This requires a lot of patience! Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool briefly. Pour in the milk, add the vanilla sugar, and the caramel syrup. Pour the syrup over the cake and sprinkle with toasted almond flakes. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.