Torta de Azeitão is a traditional Portuguese roll cake from Azeitão. They are sold in individual portions, and are deliciously moist, filled with a golden egg custard. This cake has been a part of Azeitão’s culture for over a century and are a must try for anyone visiting the Setúbal area.
The Moistest Cake You Will Eat in Portugal
The small parish of Azeitão is home to several excellent Portuguese products, you’ll find regional wines, world-known Moscatel wines, Azeitão cheese DOP, and of course Torta de Azeitão.
These moist roll cakes are made with eggs, sugar, and flour, then baked for just long enough for the dough to set. Then they are covered with a generous amount of doce de ovos (the egg rich Portuguese custard), dusted with a little cinnamon, and rolled into little logs. An authentic Torta de Azeitão is golden and has a glazed appearance like a ripe lemon. And since the dough is super moist, when you cut into it it’s almost impossible to distinguish cake from filling.
A Cake Filled with Over a Century of History (and Plenty of Egg Custard)
Torta de Azeitão’s story goes all the way back to 1901. The recipe was reportedly brought from the Alentejo village of Fronteira to Azeitão by a family member of Mateus Rodrigues, the owner of a pastelaria called ‘O Cego’. Rodrigues was a blind man, thus the café’s name (meaning The Blind), and together with his wife Maria Albina he started to produce the cakes.
Originally, Torta de Azeitão was larger and sold by the slices. Now, each torta is individually crafted and sold on their own. In 1975 the shop changed hands to Augusto Pinto, and it’s his son José Augusto Pinto who currently run the business. The recipe is still kept as a secret, and Pastelaria Cego continues to be the place to go if you want to try Tortas de Azeitão.
Where to Sample Tortas de Azeitão
If you’re exploring Setúbal or The Arrábida National Park, then I can’t recommend enough a day trip to Azeitão. It’s in this small parish where you will also find some of the biggest producers of Moscatel de Setúbal. So that means you get to combine a tasting of Tortas de Azeitão with a visit to one of the Moscatel estates where you can sample one of the finest fortified wines in the world.
Now back to our cakes, since Tortas de Azeitão are not tied to a single shop, you will find several pastelarias selling it. Most of them are concentrated in Vila Nogueira de Azeitão. Here’s my favourite places to sample delicious Tortas de Azeitão.
Pastelaria Cego
The place credited with the invention of Torta de Azeitão. They’ve been open since the early 1900s, and although the shop went through a change of owners in 1975, they are still a reference and the most popular place to get authentic Azeitão cakes. Their recipe has been closely guarded for over a century. They also sell other sweet creations too, so while you’re there make sure to also try the mémés and esses. They are located on Rua José Augusto Coelho 150.
Sabores e Encantos de Azeitão
On the same street you will find Sabores e Encantos de Azeitão, an old wash house turned café. If the historic water tanks and tile panels are not enough to persuade you to enter, perhaps their delicious Azeitão cakes will be!
They sell other regional sweets and delicacies such as Azeitão cheese, and Moscatel. However, if you have a little more time on your hands, just across the street is José Maria da Fonseca, where you can do Moscatel tours and tastings. The café’s address is Rua José Augusto Coelho 8.
Should You Try Torta de Azeitão?
Most places I visited in Portugal had their own pastry or cake. Some of these desserts are famous in and out of Portugal, others’ fame never left the boundaries of that small village or town. Torta de Azeitão falls within the first category, an iconic cake from a place that is known for producing great things. It’s deliciously moist, and although filled with egg custard, it’s delicate and light. It’s a great cake if you want to dive deeper into the egg rich Portuguese desserts.