You cut this small. A convent cake of almonds, sugar, and an unholy number of yolks — dense, amber, named bacon of heaven. It is not light. It is not trying to be. Moscatel de Setúbal beside it, or a coffee, or silence.
Portuguese convent sweets are a map of leftover yolks. Whites stiffened habits and clarified wine; the yolks went into cakes named for heaven. Toucinho do céu belongs to the Alentejo houses. Waste was a sin; this was the solution.
Bake until just set. The centre should still be a little damp. Overbaking turns heaven into cardboard. Cool, dust, and resist the urge to cut a generous slice.
Method
- 01
Boil the sugar and water until the syrup reaches the thread stage — a drop between your fingers (careful, it's hot) should pull into a short thread. Stir in the ground almonds and the butter and cook a minute, until the mixture looks like a thick, pale paste. Take it off the heat and let it cool slightly, until it no longer steams. If you add the yolks now, you will scramble them.
- 02
Beat the ten yolks and the whole egg together, then stir them into the almond paste, a little at a time, until the batter is glossy and amber. Add the lemon zest. It will look impossibly rich, because it is — this is a convent cake of leftover yolks, not a sponge. Don't panic at the color; that amber is heaven's bacon.
- 03
Butter a cake tin thoroughly — this batter will stick if you are stingy. Pour in the mixture and smooth the top with a spatula; the batter will be dense and slow. Tap the tin once on the counter to settle it. You are not looking for a risen cake; you are looking for a set one.
- 04
Bake at 340°F until the cake is just set, 30 to 35 minutes — the center should still be a little damp when you test it, not wet, not dry. Overbaking turns heaven into cardboard. Cool it in the tin, then turn out and dust with icing sugar. Cut small slices; this is dense and amber, not trying to be light.
