Oranges have a long history on São Miguel: in the nineteenth century the island exported huge quantities of them to Britain, before disease wiped out the groves. This rolled orange sponge is a classic of Azorean home baking, bright with juice and zest.
Torta de laranja is deceptively simple. It is a light, barely-sweet sponge cake, rolled while still warm around a bright, tangy orange filling that tastes like concentrated sunshine. It is related to a jelly roll in technique but nothing like one in flavor. The orange curd filling here is thick, glossy, and unapologetically citrus-forward, cut with real butter so it never turns cloying.
The trick is rolling the sponge while it is still warm, even before it is filled. That is what trains it to hold the curl later. If you love this one, our Bolo de Ananás dos Açores (recipe on the site) and Massa Sovada (recipe on the site) come from the same island pantry.
Torta de Laranja de Sao Miguel Recipe
Ingredients
- For the sponge:
- 5 large eggs, room temperature, separated
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Powdered sugar, for the towel and dusting
- For the orange filling:
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
Instructions
- Make the filling first: whisk the orange juice, zest, sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch together in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to a pudding-like consistency, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Off the heat, whisk in the butter until smooth. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and chill.
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment and grease it.
- Beat the egg yolks with half the sugar and the zest until pale and thick.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually add the remaining sugar and beat to glossy, stiff peaks.
- Fold the yolk mixture into the whites, then sift the flour and salt over the top and fold in gently.
- Spread the batter evenly in the pan and bake 10 to 12 minutes, until springy and lightly golden.
- Dust a clean kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar. Invert the warm cake onto the towel, peel off the parchment, and roll the cake up in the towel from the short end. Cool completely while rolled.
- Unroll gently, spread the chilled orange filling evenly over the sponge, then re-roll without the towel. Chill 30 minutes and dust with powdered sugar before slicing.
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