Pão de Ló (literally 'sponge bread') has been baked in Portuguese convents since at least the 16th century — the original recipe is eggs, sugar, and flour, nothing more. The Pão de Ló de Ovar from Ovar near Aveiro is the most prized: deliberately pulled from the oven while the center is still creamy and just-set, so a knife dipped in reveals an almost-liquid heart. Easter, weddings, and Sunday afternoons demand one.
An ovo-mole sponge cake from northern Portugal — the center is intentionally undercooked, almost like raw custard, while the edges are firm sponge. Sliced reveals a yellow-orange wet heart.
Pão de Ló uses 18 egg yolks, 4 whole eggs, and 200g sugar per cake — the yolk-to-flour ratio is 10:1 (vs 1:1 for regular sponge). At 180°C for 20 minutes, the edges set while the center stays as molten yolk.
Variations
Ovar pão de ló is the wettest center; Margaride version is more dome-shaped; Felgueiras version is denser — three Portuguese sponge identities.
On the Palate
Where Pão de Ló sits in the Portuguese flavor cloud
Ingredients
How it's made
6 steps · 1 hour
- 15 min
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 22cm round cake pan with parchment, including a tall sleeve up the sides for the cake to rise.
- 23 min
Whisk 8 whole eggs with 200g sugar in a stand mixer for 12-15 minutes — the mixture should triple in volume and reach the ribbon stage.
Watch outWhip until the batter triples and ribbons off the whisk, holding on the surface a few seconds before sinking — that ribbon is your only lift, so don't stop short.
- 35 min
Sift 150g flour over the egg foam in three additions, folding gently with a spatula. Do not deflate.
Watch outFold the flour in with a light hand until just streak-free — every stroke knocks air out, and a deflated batter bakes dense.
- 45 min
Pour into the prepared pan. The batter should be voluminous and barely contained by the parchment sleeve.
- 525 min
Bake exactly 22 minutes for an Ovar-style underbaked center; 28-32 minutes for a fully-set sponge.
Watch outPull it at 22 minutes for the Ovar style — the edges set but the center still jiggles like molten custard; that wobbly middle is the prize.
- 65 min
Cool in the pan. The Ovar style sinks slightly in the center — that's the prize.
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