Bolo de Mel

About This Recipe

Bolo de Mel (Honey Cake) is made with molasses (mel de cana — sugarcane molasses), not honey, despite its name. This rich, dark cake is spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and anise and studded with nuts and dried fruit. Originally associated with the island's sugarcane heritage and Portuguese Christmas tradition, it is now enjoyed year-round and is one of São Tomé's most recognisable culinary exports.

Ingredients

Serves 10

• 200 gsugarcane molasses
• 150 gunsalted butter, softened
• 3eggs
• 250 gplain flour
• 1 tspmixed spice (cinnamon, cloves, anise)
• 50 gchopped walnuts or almonds

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat and prepare

   Preheat oven to 160 °C (fan 140 °C). Grease and line a 20 cm round cake tin.

2. 2

   Cream butter and molasses

   Beat butter until fluffy. Add molasses and beat until combined — the mixture will look dark and slightly curdled, which is normal.

3. 3

   Add eggs and flour

   Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in flour and mixed spice until a smooth batter forms. Stir in nuts.

4. 4

   Bake

   Pour into prepared tin and bake 50–55 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

5. 5

   Cool and serve

   Cool in tin 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Slice and serve with coffee or tea.

Variations

• •

  Add dried figs or raisins to the batter.

• •

  A tablespoon of dark rum deepens the flavour beautifully.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Store wrapped at room temperature up to 2 weeks. Slice as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions