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Pão de Mel (Brazilian Honey Cakes)

Pão de mel is the Brazilian gingerbread with a twist, enjoyed all year round in Brazil. It consists of spiced mini honey cakes filled with dulce de leche and covered in chocolate. Truly one of the best Brazilian food desserts you will ever have!

Prep Time
32 mins
Cook Time
32 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 12 standard
Calories: 564 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Brazilian

Ingredients

For the pão de mel batter:
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger optional
  • ½ cup honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoon baking cocoa powder unsweetened preferably (sifted)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder sifted
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda sifted
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted
For the filling:
  • 1 can dulce de leche 13.4 oz
For the topping:
  • 4 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
  • ½ tablespoon vegetable oil optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Grease and coat with cocoa powder or flour a mini or standard-size muffin tin. Reserve!
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the milk, spices, and honey and let come to a quick boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10-20 minutes.
  3. When the milk mixture is warm, pour into a blender and blend with eggs and yolk, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil just until homogeneous, about 15-20 seconds.
  4. Mix sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and flour in a large bowl. Pour blended liquid mixture into the bowl and whisk just until homogeneous.
  5. Spoon batter evenly into the muffin tin (halfway full) and bake on the middle rack for about 10-12 minutes (mini ) or 18-20 minutes (standard) – or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Slide a knife around the edges to loosen the bread loaves and invert them onto a large flat platter or a clean baking sheet while they are still hot. Make sure their puffy tops are upside down.
  7. Place another baking sheet on top of all of them and then something heavy, such as a cast-iron skillet. This simple technique will help to flatten their puffy tops. It works best while they are still hot.
  8. Let them sit for about 5-10 minutes. Then cut each in half horizontally.
  9. Spread or pipe dulce de leche onto one of the halves and sandwich them like whoopie pies.
  10. Place chocolate in a large bowl and melt in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted (about 1 ½-2 minutes). Stir until smooth. If needed, stir in 1 tablespoon of oil to prevent melted chocolate from hardening quickly.
  11. Place each pão de mel on a fork and bathe in the melted chocolate. Smooth top and sides. Place on a rack with a baking sheet underneath or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let excess chocolate drain off of each cake. Let the chocolate set in the fridge for about 3-5 minutes.
  12. Using a paring knife, trim excess hardened chocolate from the bottom edges. Either serve as is or decorate each pão de mel as desired. I drizzled mine with melted white chocolate and topped them with sprinkles.

Notes

  • Servings: This recipe makes 24 honey cakes (if using a mini muffin tin) or 12 (if using a standard tin).
  • How long will pão de mel last?
  • These honey cakes, if covered in chocolate, will last about 7 days when stored either wrapped or covered at room temperature. They will keep well for about 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
  • Can I freeze Brazilian honey cakes?
  • Yes! To do this, do not fill them with dulce de leche or coat them in chocolate. Make the honey cakes, let them cool, but don’t slice them in half.  Instead, wrap each one with parchment paper and place them into a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw in the fridge, place on a counter to bring to room temperature, cut and fill them, and then coat in chocolate.
  • As you can see, this is one of those easy freezer meals that can last for a long time!

Nutrition Information

Calories 564kcal (28%) Carbohydrates 73g (24%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 24g (120%) Cholesterol 46mg (15%) Sodium 140mg (6%) Potassium 494mg (14%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 46g (92%) Vitamin A 92IU (2%) Calcium 232mg (23%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12standard

Amount Per Serving

Calories 564

% Daily Value*

Calories 564kcal 28%
Carbohydrates 73g 24%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 24g 120%
Cholesterol 46mg 15%
Sodium 140mg 6%
Potassium 494mg 11%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 46g 92%
Vitamin A 92IU 2%
Calcium 232mg 23%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.