Bolo de Brigadeiro (Brigadeiro Cake)

Some time ago, I posted the recipe for brigadeiros, a Brazilian dessert made with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate. A lot of you asked for the recipe to the sponge cake inspired by this dessert, so here it is! Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Sponge Cake:

• 6 large whole eggs
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 6 Tbsp unsweetened dry cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the Topping:

• 1 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 4 Tbsp unsweetened dry cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup creme de leite*
• chocolate sprinkles

How To Make It:

The Sponge Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C);
2. Beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar together with a cake-mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy;
3. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder, taking care not to overmix;
4. Pour the batter into an 8-inch springform cake pan, ungreased, and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean;
5. Let cool completely.

The Topping

1. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, the butter and cocoa powder in a double-boiler and heat, stirring constantly, until you have a thickened, consistent mixture;
2. Remove from the heat, then stir in the creme de leite;
3. Let cool;
4. When the cake and the frosting are cool, spread the frosting on the top of the cake, then cover the frosting with chocolate sprinkles;
5. Leave the cake resting on the bottom of the pan and place it on a decorative serving platter for cutting into slices and serving.

*This recipe calls for creme de leite, a thickened, unsweetened cream that is a staple in all Brazilian kitchens. You can find creme de leite, UHT-treated or canned, in Brazilian/Portuguese groceries in cities that have a Brazilian/Portuguese immigrant community. Alternatively it is sold in almost all Latin American markets under the Spanish name media crema and the English name table cream, most often manufactured by Nestlé.

Suggestions:

You can use anything you like to decorate the cake. Although the original recipe calls for chocolate sprinkles, you can get creative! This is a rather fattening cake, so if you want to tone down the amount of calories in it, I'd suggest using light chocolate powder and light condensed milk. Enjoy your cake but remember that sweets must be eaten with moderation!