Brioche dough
A leavened dough made from flour, water, margarine, eggs, milk and sugar. Perhaps due to its consistency and preparation time, it lends itself to a great variety of forms and is therefore the base for the largest group of cake varieties in this book. It produces heartier and denser cakes. It is sometimes used in a lightly puffed form.
Butter cake
Cake prepared from butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, milk, flour and leavening. Accepted as a derivation of the typical English-style cake (fruit cake). Though it may have a soft, lighter texture, it is a very rich cake, high in calories, given the amount of fat used in its production.
Candied fruit
Fruit preserved in sugar. The fruit is cooked in a boiling sugar syrup until it becomes saturated.
Chantilly cream
Whipped cream sweetened with sugar and flavoured with vanillin or vanilla extract. Its invention is attributed to François Vatel in the 17th century. Due to special conservation requirements, its use did not become common until the widespread use of refrigeration units.
Choux pastry
Made from milk, water, butter, flour, salt and eggs. It requires a rather unique method of preparation: it is cooked twice, the first time on the stove, to bind the mixed ingredients and a second time in the oven, to achieve its characteristic texture and final shape. Because of its paste-like consistency, use of a piping bag is essential to create decorative and fluid forms.
Coconut filling
Made with shredded coconut, sugar, milk and pastry cream. Used to fill some cakes such as the Pastel de Coco and Trança.
Custard filling
Filling prepared with milk, sugar, egg yolks and flour. Flavoured with vanilla.
Fios de ovos
Egg yolk strands cooked in sugar syrup requiring skilled preparation. Prepared using a tri-tipped funnel.
Fondant
A creamy and opaque mixture made from a sugar syrup base, used as coating in some cake recipes (Mil-Folhas, Josefina). Chocolate variant is also very common (Mil-Folhas, Napoleão).
Fresh butter cream
Filling made from butter, sugar and vanilla. Some variations are enriched with cream and egg yolk. Sometimes flavoured with vermouth, port wine or rum. Very high in calories, often substituted with chantilly cream.
Ganache
Mixture of chocolate and cream. Its consistency varies depending on the proportions of both ingredients. It may be used as icing or filling in the preparation of various pastries. It may also be flavoured with liqueurs and other flavourings. When used as a filling it is often substituted by thick chocolate mousse in order to reduce the cake’s calorie content.
Leavened doughs
Type of dough which rises by fermentation of active yeast cultures.
Margarida
Cake prepared by folding a round of plain puff pastry dough in half and sprinkling it with icing sugar and cinnamon. It has apparently become extinct, perhaps due to its simplicity.
Pasteurized eggs
Produced from pasteurised chicken eggs, guaranteeing the elimination of foodborne pathogenic microorganisms. Sold in Tetra Pak cartons in whole egg as well as egg white or egg yolk varieties.
Pastry cream
Custard filling made by mixing sugar, water, flour, egg yolks and butter, also called crême patissier. Flavoured with vanilla or vanillin.
Piping bag
A cone-shaped cloth bag with a small hole at the tapered end to which various tips may be affixed. Allows for the decorative application of pastes such as chantilly or butter creams.
Prepared mixes
Mix of basic ingredients used in the preparation of various types of pastry doughs. A large variety of mixes are available on the market today. They permit even less experienced pastry chefs to achieve overall consistent results.
Puff pastry dough
Made from flour, water, eggs, salt, sugar and fat. Its preparation requires a high level of skill and a considerable amount of time. After being rolled, fat is gradually worked into the dough in layers. The puffing effect is the result of water evaporating from the layered fat during baking. When prepared correctly it gives a light and crispy texture to the cake.
Roulade and Napkin batter
Prepared from eggs, sugar and flour, without added fat, it rises as the result of air expanding in the batter. Similar to Pão-de-Ló type dough. Egg whites serve as emulsifying and binding agents, imparting a characteristically light and airy texture.
Royal icing
Meringue type icing made from egg whites and sugar. Difficult to execute correctly and easily altered by the chemical composition of the water used in its preparation. Typically used in the confection of Jesuitas (original recipe) and Discos.
Russian cream
Filling prepared with milk, sugar and gelatin. Sometimes flavoured with lemon or cinnamon.
Shortcrust
Made from sugar, eggs, egg yolks and flour. It is prepared especially for lining molds. Its final texture is similar to that of puff pastry and is an excellent shell for various types of cream fillings.
Sortido Fino
Also commonly known as Sortido Húngaro. The term refers to the great variety of small cakes and biscuits prepared daily in-house and sold by weight.
Sponge cake
Cake type that rises due to the expansion of air introduced during the preparation of the batter. The eggs function as emulsifier and binder of the mixture. It may be prepared with or without additional fat, as is the case of the batter for Tortas, Guardanapos and butter cake, respectively.
Sugar glaze
Mixture of sugar and water used to coat cakes. More fluid than fondant. Commonly used in combination with sweet egg cream as in the Brisa or Palmier Coberto.
Sugar glaze
Mixture of sugar and water used to coat cakes. More fluid than fondant. Commonly used in combination with doce de ovos as in the Brisa or Palmier Coberto.
Sweet egg cream
Yolk-based cream commonly used in Portuguese pastry confection to fill and coat various cakes. Prepared by incorporating hot sugar syrup into egg yolks as they are beaten, and subsequently cooking the mixture.
Sweetcrust
Made from sugar, butter, eggs, flour and yeast, it is commonly used home baking for rolled crusts and crumbles. Normally combined with creams and fresh fruit in order to balance its density.
Trimmings dough
Created by mixing trimmings of various doughs obtained in the preparation of other cakes. These trimmings are then rolled into a dough and mixed with other flavouring agents (cinnamon, chocolate, honey, etc.) depending on the cake to be made.
Vanillin
Name given to the primary chemical compound in vanilla, commonly known as vanilla powder. Similar in characteristics and flavour to natural vanilla, this additive is synthesised from lignin, an abundant byproduct of celulose processing, among other compounds.
