Ask any Brazilian what is their favorite cake and you will always get the same answer: brigadeiro cake. Absolutely nothing compares to this rich, fudgy, moist chocolate cake! If you love brigadeiro, this is a must-try!
Be still my heart! The cake I’ve been craving for the longest time is finally here. ❤️ I had dreams about brigadeiro cake throughout my whole pregnancy, but couldn’t have it because of my diet restrictions. Well, those restrictions are gone and I’m free to eat whatever I want. It is also Rebecca’s 3rd month-versary, so I thought it was the perfect occasion to share a cake here on the blog! After all, I survived the infamous “4th trimester” y’all! bows graciously
If you know any Brazilians, you know that we are serious about our brigadeiro. It is the nation’s most loved sweet treat and is a must have at any birthday party! I’m not going to get into the history of brigadeiro, as I already wrote all about it on my “Traditional Brigadeiros” post. Head over there if you wanna learn some more about this beloved docinho, including why it is called “brigadeiro”. For right now, there is only one thing you should know: we are going all in, y’all! The brigadeiro cake – which easily feeds a crowd – consists of four layers of a super moist and delicious chocolate cake, filled with soft brigadeiro and covered with even more brigadeiro. ??? As Brazilians would say, it’s “bem brigadeirudo”!
The trick to make a softer brigadeiro for the filling, is adding a can of table cream off the heat, after the brigadeiro is ready. Table cream is a staple ingredient in Brazilian cuisine and it took me a long time to realize I could find it here in the States. I used to travel all the way to Queens to buy my precious “creme de leite de latinha” (which translates to “canned heavy cream”) at a Brazilian store, since heavy cream wouldn’t cut it for the recipes I wanted to make. Then, one day I was walking by the hispanic aisle at my neighborhood supermarket when I saw it: the same table cream, the same brand, but a different name: Media Crema. I couldn’t believe my eyes! And I couldn’t believe one of my favorite ingredients was there all along, right under my nose!
If you’re not familiar with it, Media Crema is a shelf-stable table cream that can be used as an ingredient (or topping) in many savory and sweet dishes. Unlike the heavy cream, which needs to be refrigerated, the table cream – also known as light cream – can live in your pantry and will last a long time! In fact, before I found out I could find it here in the US, I used to bring back a bunch of cans every time I traveled to Brazil! It also has a little less fat than heavy cream, around 20% vs 35+% of heavy cream, hence why you can’t make whipped cream with it. If you plan on making lots of Brazilian dishes – especially our desserts – I would find it in your grocery store and would get familiar with it. You will be using it a lot!
You will notice that the recipe asks you to remove the serum from the table cream. That’s also very common in Brazilian recipes, especially when you want to use the cream to thicken something. The easiest way to do that is to pop the table cream can (make sure to wash it before doing that) in the freezer for 20 minutes and, when cold, make two small holes with a knife (or can opener) in the bottom of the can. Then, turn the can back up (bottom side down) over a recipient, and all the serum will come out. All that will be left is the pure cream, ready to be used!
This brigadeiro cake might look like a lot – especially when you read the recipe – but a little goes a long way and you’ll be able to feed about 20 people. It is perfect for birthdays or special occasions! You can even make it for Christmas and decorate with red, white and green sprinkles. I happen to prefer this cake cold, so if you want, you can make this cake the day before you’re planning on serving it! Just let it sit at room temperature for a little while so it’s still cold but not as stiff, as brigadeiro cake is supposed to be very soft and moist. I hope you guys enjoy this! It is truly my favorite cake in the whole world.
