Small spiced honey cakes, dense and aromatic with cinnamon and clove, filled with dulce de leche and fully enrobed in dark chocolate. A staple of Brazilian bakeries and a classic edible gift, especially around the New Year.
A Brazilian adaptation of European spiced honey cakes such as German Lebkuchen and French pain d'epices, reworked over a century with local doce de leite and a chocolate coating.
The cake is moist and cushiony, breathing warm cinnamon and honey. A river of dulce de leite oozes from the centre while the snappy chocolate shell shatters at first bite. Sweet, spiced and deeply comforting.
Honey's hygroscopic sugars keep the crumb moist for days, while baking soda reacts with honey's acidity for a tender lift. Tempered chocolate forms a stable, snappy shell that seals in moisture.
Variations
guava paste filling, brigadeiro filling, white chocolate coating, large cake-style pao de mel
On the Palate
Where Pão de Mel sits in the Brazilian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12
How it's made
8 steps · 25 min
- 15 min
Warm honey with milk and a touch of butter until loose and pourable.
- 25 min
Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and a spice blend of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
- 35 min
Combine the honey mixture with the dry ingredients and an egg into a thick batter.
- 418 min
Spoon the batter into greased dome or muffin moulds and bake at 180C until springy, about 18 minutes.
Watch outBake just until the tops spring back to a light touch — overbaked cakes go dry and the honey crumb loses its softness.
- 58 min
Cool the cakes, then slice and sandwich pairs with a generous layer of dulce de leche.
- 66 min
Melt and temper dark chocolate until smooth and glossy.
Watch outTemper the chocolate until it's smooth, glossy and just barely warm — properly tempered, it sets with a firm snap.
- 75 min
Dip each filled cake fully into the chocolate to coat all sides.
Watch outCoat every side in one clean dip — bare patches let the cake dry out and the shell won't seal in the moisture.
- 830 min
Set on a rack until the chocolate shell hardens completely.
