Wednesday, December 12, 2012

King Cake - Bolo Rei | Portuguese Traditional Christmas Cake


Christmas would not be the same for me if there wasn't a "Bolo Rei" in the house, which literally translated it means King Cake. My mom makes them every year and gives them to our friends and family. So this past weekend she asked if I could help. Well, my life kind of got in the way and by the time I made it over to her place she was pretty much done! She is so amazing, I really do look up to her... in a few hours she had whipped up 8 cakes all on her own! I'm so happy that her energy rubbed off on me a little, LOL!


King Cake - Bolo Rei | Portuguese Traditional Christmas Cake

For those of you that don't know I was born in Portugal and moved to Canada with my parents when I was two. So for many years of my sheltered life, all that I knew was very heavily influenced by my parent's culture and their upbringing.  And so, the King Cake at Christmas was always a must! I have to be honest though, the cake was never appealing to me mostly because of all the dried crystallized fruits. So, after many years of hearing everyone praise my mom and her cakes, a few years ago I tried it... Maybe it's an age thing! I actually didn't mind it too much, initially, I was picking out all the fruit and just leaving the nuts. Now I eat it all... great I must be getting old... my taste buds are changing, oh no!


King Cake - Bolo Rei | Portuguese Traditional Christmas Cake

Taken from Wikipedia Bolo rei is a traditional Portuguese cake that is usually eaten around Christmas, from December 25 until the Dia de Reis (literally Day of Kings, a reference to the three kings) on January 6. The cake itself is round with a large hole in the center, resembling a crown covered with crystallized and dried fruit. The bolo rei is baked from a soft, white dough, with raisins, various nuts, and crystallized fruit. Also included is the characteristic "fava", and tradition dictates that whoever finds the fava has to pay for the bolo rei next year. Initially, a small prize was also included within the cake, but now that can be hazardous!

King Cake - Bolo Rei | Portuguese Traditional Christmas Cake

For those of you that are interested in the recipe, click here. My mom said this link shows you pretty much how she made hers, even includes a video... The only thing it is in Portuguese, so you might have to use your translate options on your computer. 

King Cake - Bolo Rei | Portuguese Traditional Christmas Cake

Thanks for stopping by, hope you've enjoyed learning a little more about our holiday traditions!

17 comments:

  1. This is a very festive cake. It adds a lot of great color. I always like to try new foods, maybe I could make this.

    Garrett @TheGrowingPatch
    www.growingpatch.com

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    1. It is a very festive cake, if you are into fruit cakes this is a must try cake. Thanks for coming by :)

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  2. Yes, I've heard of the King's Cake - Do you put a "Baby Jesus"
    (usually a little plastic doll-but not so little as to be swallowed! ) in yours? The person that gets the slice with the baby gets a special prize. The recipe sounds a little bit like our U.S. Fruitcake. Thanks for sharing your mom's tradition.

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    1. Yes, traditionally you do place something inside the cake and the person who found it got the prize or payed for the cake the following year. Now a days people don't because of choking hazards :( And yes very much like the fruit cake!

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  3. Olá Ilda,
    Adorei o seu post tal como adoro Bolo Rei. Obrigada pela receita e parabéns á energia da sua mãe!!!Ficaram lindos!!! Por curiosidade acrescento que há alguns anos, uns 6 talvez, passou a ser proibido o uso da fava e dos brindes no interior, devido ao perigo para crianças especialmente. Tenho pena porque adorava e ainda conservo um sininho de madeira que saíu à minha mãe na maternidade quando nasci a 3 de Janeiro.Agora também é vulgar o Bolo Rainha que é igual, mas em vez de frutas cristalizadas só levas frutos secos, é também muito bom.
    Desejo que tenha um Santo Natal,

    Um beijo grande de Portugal,
    Ana Love Craft
    www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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    1. Olá Ana! Fomos jantar a casa da minha mãe hoje, ela fez o bolo da rainha e usou a receita que você me enviou. Gostei muito, acho que eu ate gostei mais do que o bolo rei. Obrigada... E tenha uma ótima semana!

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    2. Olá Ilda!Fico tão contente que tenham gostado e devo confessar que desde que não leve avelã, também penso que gosto mais :)!Adorei o new look do seu blog e os últimos postes!Passei aqui a correr ainda tenho tanto para preparar até ao Natal... Depois visito-a com mais atenção!
      Festas muito felizes para todos!
      Beijos de Portugal,

      Ana Love Craft
      www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com

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    3. Obrigada Ana, Boas Festa e beijos do Canada!

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  4. So much better than the usual fruit cake. hopping over from Aloha Friday to say aloha Sunday! Hugs

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    1. Hi Katherine! Thanks so much for coming over and following! Will be returning the favour! It is in my opinion better then the fruit cake ;)

      Happy Holidays!

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  5. Hi there!! I found you somewhere in the blogosphere and LOVE your blog!!! I'm Hanna and I am your newest follower!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! You can find me anytime at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com

    xoxoxo Hanna

    P.S. We are from New ORleans!! I LOVE KING CAKE:)

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    1. Hi Hanna! So happy you found me... so that I could find you in return! Will definitely be following you back!

      Happy Holidays to you :)

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  6. Wonderful tradition. Thank you for sharing at the Our Favorite Things Link Party. Have a great week.

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Thanks so much for taking the time and leaving me a comment! I always love hearing from you and I appreciate you stopping by! Hugs, Ilda