Pão de ló

Serves - 8

You’ll need

• 6 eggs
• 180g caster sugar
• 100g plain flour
• 20g cornflour
• Pinch of sea salt
• Butter, for greasing
• A little plain flour, for dusting the tin

Method

1. Get the tin and oven ready

Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Grease a 20cm round cake tin and dust it lightly with flour, tapping out any excess. You want it properly prepared so the cake comes out cleanly rather than clinging on out of spite.

2. Whisk the eggs and sugar

Crack the eggs into a large heatproof bowl and add the caster sugar. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk for 4–5 minutes until the mixture is warm, pale and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat, then keep whisking with an electric whisk for another 5–7 minutes until the mixture is light, airy and leaves a ribbon on the surface when lifted. This is where the cake gets its lift, so it is worth doing properly.

3. Fold in the dry ingredients

Sift the plain flour, cornflour and salt together. Add them to the egg mixture in 2 or 3 goes, folding gently each time with a large metal spoon or spatula. Try not to knock too much air out of it – you want to keep things light rather than stirring it into defeat.

4. Bake

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level it gently. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the cake is golden, risen and springy on top. If you prefer a slightly softer, more tender centre, check it at the earlier end of the timing. It should feel set round the edges and just cooked through.

5. Cool properly

Leave the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. It is delicate while warm, so a little patience here is doing useful work.

6. Serve

Serve in slices as it is, or with fresh berries, a spoonful of softly whipped cream, or just a dusting of icing sugar if you want to keep things simple. It is the sort of cake that does not need much decoration to make its point.

A couple of helpful notes

- The key here is whisking enough air into the eggs and sugar, so do not cut that part short.
- If you want a more traditional look, line the tin with baking paper that comes slightly up the sides for a taller, softer rise.
- This is best eaten on the day it is made, when the texture is at its lightest and most delicate.