Cavacas/Portuguese Popovers

Last week I was tempted by another Azorean Green Bean recipe…this time for CAVACAS.
I have loved these pastries for a long time and have bought them at the local Portuguese bakeries but have never had the opportunity to make them myself. I am going to be honest and tell you that I always thought they must be difficult to make since they are so big and airy. I had no idea how to make them until Azorean Green Bean posted the recipe on Facebook.

To my surprise, they were SUPER easy to make. An even bigger surprise was when I saw how amazing they looked and how tasty they were!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 Cup of canola or vegetable oil
• ½ Cup of milk (dairy or non-dairy)
• 8 eggs at room temperature

Sugar Glaze: Whisk together…

• 2 Cups of Confectioner’s Sugar,
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons of either water, milk, or milk alternative (more or less depending on the thickness you like)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease regular size muffin tins or popover tins.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients for 20 minutes without stopping. Maria recommends using a stand mixer set on level 6.
3. Once the ingredients have been mixed for 20 minutes, fill the muffin or popover tins halfway (no more than that).
4. Bake on the middle rack for about 45 minutes; if you want the CAVACAS to be on the dry side bake for 1 hour. They will turn a golden colour and “popover” the tins.
5. While they are still warm dip in the sugar glaze; -OR- drizzle the glaze over cooled cavacas.  

My daughter has also made these cavacas with almond milk, creating a nuttier taste!

Although these pastries may not be great for cholesterol levels, you can control their sweetness with the amount of glaze you use.

Thanks for coming by,