Bolo de Fuba - Brazilian Cornmeal Cake

Written by
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.
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Marian Blazes
Updated 10/13/19
Bola de Fuba cake
Dave King/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 55 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
418 Calories
23g Fat
49g Carbs
5g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 418
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 57mg 19%
Sodium 299mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Protein 5g
Calcium 144mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Brazil is known for its wonderful cakes, and bolo de fubá is one of the most loved. A slice of this light, sweet cornmeal cake goes perfectly with your morning or afternoon coffee.

The best thing about this cake is that you can mix it all up in the blender, then just pour it into a cake pan. Standing mixers for household use were not always widely available in South America, so people often just use the blender instead. It works perfectly for this recipe. You can get this cake in the oven in about 5 minutes―as fast as it takes you to gather the ingredients.

There are many recipes for bola de fubá, and most are pretty similar. Some people like to add coconut or cheese, for a moister, richer cake (bola de fubá cremosa). Use the most finely ground cornmeal you can find, so that the cake will have a delicate, light texture. In this case, you don't want the more grainy and crumbly texture of regular cornbread.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cornmeal (corn flour; finely ground)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 cup of corn oil
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Optional: Powdered (confectioners) sugar for decoration

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a bundt pan or angel food cake pan lightly with butter or vegetable oil.

  2. Place all of the ingredients except for the powdered sugar in a blender. Blend until well mixed.

  3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Place cake pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cake has risen and the middle of the cake springs back to the touch.

  4. Remove cake from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes. Loosen cake from the sides of the pan with a knife, then invert the cake onto a plate. Place the cake right side up, and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

  5. Wrap cake well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator up to five days.