Donas Amélias (Honey Cupcakes)

Donas Amélias are small cupcakes. This is the original recipe that was offered to Queen Amélia of Orleans and Bragança by the ladies of Angra do Heroísmo during her royal visit in 1901. 

 

• 500 grams of sugar
• 9 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites (beat with blender to form peaks)
• 200 grams of butter (melted and cold)
• 200 grams of white corn flour (as sieved as possible)
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons of honey
• 100 grams of raisins
• 50 grams of candied citron peel (chopped very thin)
• The zest of a small lemon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Beat the sugar and the egg yolks. After well mixed, stir in the cinnamon, the raisins, the citron, the nutmeg, the lemon zest and the salt.

Beat the dough for a little longer until it comes together. Then, add the butter, the egg whites in peeks and, finally, the corn flour and the honey.

Whenever you add a new ingredient, beat the dough well so that all the ingredients come together. Don’t use a whisker to do this.

Put the dough into medium size muffin tins (greased and sprinkled with flour). Cook in an oven not very hot.  

When the cupcakes are done, let them cool. Then, take them out of the tins and sprinkle them with icing sugar.
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Nowadays, there are other versions of this recipe that are easier to make and almost as good. If you reduce this recipe to half, you get 24 cupcakes. They can be kept in a closed recipient for a few weeks and they still keep their original flavour.