After Dinner in Porto Cake
Nirali created a version of this dish for Great American Baking Show ™ Season 6. This is an interpretation of Nirali's Porto-inspired sheet cake, built around the confirmed flavours of orange and port wine and the traditions of Portuguese after-dinner baking. No detailed judge feedback survives for this dish, so our recipe combines the confirmed elements with traditional Portuguese baking techniques — a tender olive oil-enriched orange sponge soaked with warm-spiced port wine syrup, filled with a silky port wine and orange custard buttercream, and finished with a dark chocolate-port glaze and toasted almonds. A cake that asks you to slow down, pour a glass, and stay a while.
- Time: 180 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- MAKE THE PORT WINE SYRUP
- Combine the port wine, sugar, orange zest strips, cinnamon stick and cloves in a
- Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half and become
- Remove from heat, stir in the orange juice, and strain out the solids. Set aside
- BAKE THE ORANGE AND OLIVE OIL SPONGE
- Preheat the oven to 175°C . Line a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper,
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder,
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, milk, orange juic
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold gently with a spatula until just
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30–35 minutes, until the cake is golden,
- While the cake is still warm, poke holes across the surface using a skewer or fo
- MAKE THE PORT WINE REDUCTION
- In a small saucepan, simmer 120ml of port wine over medium-low heat until reduce
- MAKE THE PORT WINE AND ORANGE CUSTARD BUTTERCREAM
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve, then cook ove
- Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medi
- With the mixer running on medium speed, carefully drizzle the hot sugar syrup do
- Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium speed, add the softene
- Beat in the cooled port wine reduction, orange zest, vanilla and salt. The butte
- MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE AND PORT GLAZE
- Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Pour over the
- Stir in the port wine, butter and orange zest until glossy and uniform. Let cool
- ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- Level the cooled, syrup-soaked cake if necessary by trimming the top with a long
- Spread the port wine and orange custard buttercream in an even layer across the
- Pour the chocolate-port glaze over the buttercream layer, tilting the pan gently
- Immediately scatter the toasted sliced almonds and diced candied orange peel acr
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set the glaze fully
- CUT AND SERVE
- Using the parchment overhang, lift the entire cake from the pan onto a cutting b
- Using a long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between cuts, scor
- Serve at cool room temperature — the buttercream and glaze should be firm enough