Traditional
Bolo de Bolacha
(Rich Tea Biscuit Cake)
This is a no-bake cake, perfect for making with children. Found at family celebrations and on the dessert menus of many Portuguese restaurants, it is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that requires very little effort and only a handful of ingredients.
Rich and indulgent, a little goes a long way. In our household, finger-thin slices are usually enough, allowing one cake to comfortably serve up to 12 people.
The secret to a light, fluffy buttercream lies in both the temperature of the ingredients and the method used. Please read the recipe carefully before you begin. It is simple, but the mixture can split quite easily if the instructions are not followed closely.
Serves 12 (or more)
Ingredients
200 gr softened low salt butter, at room temperature.
150 gr icing sugar
25 ml cold espresso coffee (or coffee liqueur)
100 ml unsweetened coffee, cooled to room temperature (or a mix of coffee and liqueur)
200 gr of rich tea biscuits (in Portugal, this quantity is 2 packets of Bolacha Maria).
Equipment
Expresso cup
Soup plate or shallow bowl
Medium mixing bowl
Electric whisk (you can make it by hand but it is a lot of work)
Palette knife or Spatula (any other large knife can work too)
Serving plate
Method
Prepare one espresso (25ml) and place it in the fridge or freezer while you continue with the rest of the recipe. It is important that the espresso is thoroughly chilled before it is added to the cream. Brew the remaining coffee and pour it into a shallow bowl or soup plate. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Do not chill this coffee, as the biscuits will not absorb it as well.
Put the butter in the mixing bowl and beat it for 3 to 5 minutes using an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating continuously on low speed. Slowly pour in the cold espresso, beating continuously on low speed until fully incorporated. Speeding up this step risks curdling the buttercream.
Refrigerate the mixture for 10-15 minutes to firm up slightly, but do not allow it to become completely solid. If pressed with time, you can skip this step.
To assemble the cake, dip each biscuit into the coffee for a few seconds, taking care not to soak it for too long or it will disintegrate. Spread a small amount of the cream over each biscuit and stack them to form the cake. Repeat until all the cream or biscuits have been used. You can form any shape. The traditional Portuguese shape is a flower with 5 or 6 biscuits and 6 to 7 layers.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the coffee flavour to soak into the biscuits before serving, with an expresso of course!
Tips:
You can replace the butter with a mixture of 150g butter and 50g butter-flavoured spread (such as Becel in Portugal). The spread should not account for more than 50% of the total fat content, otherwise the buttercream may curdle
Some families add a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder to the buttercream to give it a light caramel or latte-coloured appearance. Be careful not to add too much, however, as the chocolate can easily overpower the delicate coffee flavour.