Around The World in 80 Cakes - Portuguese Toucinho do Céu In at number 14, we finally head over to Portugal for their Toucinho do Céu, which intriguingly translates to bacon from heaven. An odd name yes for a cake, but when you realise that lard is a key component, it starts to make sense. Buttery rich, dense and incredibly moist, this didn’t have a traditional light and fluffy cake texture once baked but is more so comparable to a set custard. This is a great gluten free bake, and as someone who does enjoy teaming sweet with savoury, I think the preconception of knowing that lard plays a part may have sabotaged a fair review BUT I do think switching it out for olive oil instead would be an incredibly delicious substitute. I’d also highly suggest increasing the orange zest for a punchier flavour. If you fancy giving this a go, I used the below recipe based on a few Portuguese websites and restaurants. Proceed with caution, I am not here to compensate you for how much you spent on eggs if you don’t like it 😬 400 g Ground Almonds 190 ml Water 350 g Caster Sugar 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 90 g Unsalted Butter, diced 45 g Ibérico Lard (sub for normal lard/olive oil) 8 Large Eggs, yolks only 3 Large Eggs, whole 30 ml Amaretto (sub for orange juice + 1 tsp almond extract) 1 Large Orange, zest only 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste Icing Sugar, to finish Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 140C Fan/160C/320F and grease and line a 20 cm / 8 inch removable base/ springform cake tin. 2. Into a saucepan, add the sugar, water, lard and salt. Place over a medium heat before bringing it to a boil. 3. Once boiling, add in the ground almonds and mix well. Continue cooking the almonds over a low to medium heat for a few minutes. 4. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the butter. Mix to ensure it completely melts and is well incorporated. 5. To the pan, add the whole eggs, yolks, amaretto (if using), orange zest and vanilla bean paste. Use a balloon whisk to mix well before switching out to a rubber spatula to scrape down the base and sides of the pan to ensure everything is combined. You want this to be a coarse but smooth mix. 6. Transfer the batter into your lined cake tin and place onto the middle shelf of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. You want the top of the cake to be firm and lightly golden. If the cake top is wobbly, place back in the oven for a further 5 minutes to continue cooking. 7. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to sit in the tin for 30 minutes before covering the top with clingfilm. Leave to cool before placing in the fridge overnight to set. 8. The next day, gently remove the cake from the tin and transfer to your serving plate. Dust the top with icing sugar before using a hot knife to slice. #aroundtheworld #cake #portugal #caketok #mukbangeatingshow - @rubybhogal