Torta de Laranja is a traditional Portuguese roll cake typical of Setúbal and the Algarve. Despite the name ‘torta’ (meaning pie or tart in Portuguese), it’s actually a super moist cake made with a small amount of flour, lots of eggs, sugar, and both the zests and the juice of oranges. Torta de Laranja is a doce conventual or a sweet that was invented in the kitchen of a convent. It’s super simple to make and will get your whole house smelling amazing! Keep reading to learn how to make this Portuguese Orange Swiss Roll!
Torta de Laranja – A Sweet Convent Creation
Portuguese oranges are well known around the world, produced mostly in sunny Algarvean soils, they boast a vivid orange and are sweet and succulent. During the 17th century Portugal imported from China a sweet orange variety that thrived in the country’s sunny climate. From here it spread to the rest of Europe, an orange that could be eaten fresh! That’s one of the reasons why the word for orange in several eastern Mediterranean countries is ‘Portugal’.
When Portuguese Oranges Meet Eggs and Sugar
Now back to Portugal, these new sweet oranges got swept up in the tradition of doces conventuais – egg rich sweets and pastries created by monks and nuns. That takes us to Torta de Laranja, a fragrant orange cake made with plenty of eggs, sugar, the juice and zests of oranges and almost no flour.
Despite being called torta it’s actually a flat cake rolled while still warm with the help of a cloth sprinkled with sugar. It doesn’t come as a surprise that an Algarve doce conventual would contain oranges, right? The Algarve has dozens of convents and their respective sweets to be discovered, but for today let’s stick to Torta de Laranja.
Authentic Portuguese Orange Cake Roll Recipe
To make this fantastic Portuguese cake you will need eggs, granulated sugar, the ripest oranges you can find (even better if they are from the Algarve), butter, flour, baking powder, a touch of corn starch and powdered sugar.
We start by combining the granulated sugar with the orange zests, rubbing the mixture with the tips of the fingers to release all the flavour. Once the sugar has turned a light yellow, it’s time to add the eggs whisking gently with a wire whisk to combine. Pour in the melted butter, give it another whisk.
On a separate bowl add in the orange juice and the corn starch, stirring well to dissolve. Pour it into the egg and sugar mixture, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Whisk a little more making sure there’s no lumps left.
Line a rectangular baking tray with parchment paper, pour the cake batter into it. Don’t worry, the mixture is supposed to be very liquid. Bake for about 20 minutes at 150°C or until the cake is set but hasn’t changed much in colour. At this point your house will be already filled with a delicious orange perfume. Take the cake out of the oven, let it rest on a cooling grid for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the cake with some powdered sugar, then carefully unmould it on top of another sheet of parchment paper (a damp cloth if you’re doing it the traditional way). Roll it into a tight roll with the help of the paper. Pop in the fridge wrapped in the paper, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, it will be delicious and syrupy, enjoy!
How to Make Torta de Laranja – Authentic Portuguese Orange Roll Cake
Torta de Laranja – Authentic Portuguese Orange Roll Cake
8
servings15
minutes20
minutes215
kcalTorta de Laranja is a traditional Portuguese roll cake typical of Setúbal and the Algarve.
Ingredients
6 Eggs
200 ml Fresh Orange Juice
1 Zest from a Whole Orange
250 g Granulated Sugar
1 tbsp Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Corn Starch
Powdered Sugar
Directions
- Start by preheating the oven to 150°C.
- Meanwhile, add the granulated sugar and the zests of 1 orange to a large bowl. Rub the mixture with the tips of your fingers until the sugar turns light yellow. This will help release all the flavour from the zests.
- Crack in the eggs into the sugar bowl. Whisk lightly to combine using a wire whisk. Making sure you’re not over mixing it.
- Add in the melted butter.
- Add the orange juice and corn starch to a separate bowl. Whisk to dissolve the starch. Pour it into the egg mixture. Whisk a little more to combine.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder. Give it another whisk just to combine.
- Line a rectangular baking tray (roughly 30x40cm) with parchment paper. Pour in the cake batter. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until the cake is set but not too caramelised. Take the cake out of the oven, let it rest on a cooling grid for about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cake with some powdered sugar, then carefully unmould it on top of another sheet of parchment paper.
- Roll it into a tight roll with the help of the paper. Pop in the fridge wrapped in the paper, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Tips
- The flour can be omitted for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- Be careful as not to overmix it – we don’t want to incorporate too much air into the batter.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
More Portuguese Desserts You Will Love!
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