Bolo de Mel da Madeira (Madeira Honey Cake)

I already have the bolo do caco recipe on the site, the soft griddle-baked garlic butter bread that Madeira is famous for, but the island has an entirely different bolo worth knowing about: a dense, dark, spiced honey cake traditionally saved for Christmas and made in a batch big enough to last for weeks. Bolo de mel translates simply as honey cake, and it leans on real Madeiran cane molasses, called mel de cana, along with honey, brown sugar, and a fat pinch of warm spices.

There is a genuinely charming superstition attached to this cake: it is never cut with a knife. Bolo de mel nunca se corta, parte-se, the saying goes, meaning it is broken by hand, not sliced, a nod to its old role as a shared, communal cake rather than individually portioned dessert. I still cannot bring myself to reach for a bread knife on this one, and honestly the torn edges look better anyway.

It keeps remarkably well wrapped at room temperature, actually improving after a day or two as the spices settle in, which makes it one of the better make-ahead desserts in my whole rotation.

Bolo de Mel da Madeira Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 50 minutes · Total: 70 minutes plus cooling · Servings: 12 · Calories: ~310 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup port wine or orange juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan or bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, molasses and honey together until well combined and glossy.
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the port wine or orange juice and the orange zest.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, black pepper and salt.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture in two additions, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the walnuts if using.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. For best flavor, wrap tightly and let it rest a full day before serving.
8. To serve, break the cake into pieces by hand rather than slicing it, in the traditional style.

Recipe Notes

• True Madeiran mel de cana is hard to find in the US; a mix of dark molasses and honey, as used here, gets you very close in both flavor and color.
• The small amount of black pepper is traditional and correct, not a typo. It adds warmth in the background rather than heat.
• Wrapped well in plastic and foil, this cake keeps at room temperature for up to two weeks, much like a fruitcake, and the flavor only gets better.
• No port on hand? Orange juice with a splash of dark rum makes a fine substitute.