White bica

Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour, brings us the recipe for Bica Blanca, a delicious cake that you will make without yeast and using only egg whites (this is the reason for its characteristic white color). You'll love it!

Sometimes the simplest recipes turn out to be the tastiest. This Bica Blanca is a typical cake from some Galician villages Orensanos that features a crunchy topping and a very white interior, hence its name, and is spongy, yet dense and moist.

It's very easy to prepare; that said, I recommend that you have a good mixer, in my case I use the whisk attachment of the Kitchen Aid, because both whipping the cream and whipping the egg whites can be done without trouble in a few minutes. In this case, having a second bowl is also an advantage, because otherwise you'll have to transfer the cream to another bowl and clean it very well so there are no problems when whipping the egg whites.

The rest is almost even simpler than making any cake but with a spectacular result in flavor and texture.

KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer and Laura Ashley porcelain bowl

Ingredients

For a 27 x 20 approx. pan at least 5 cm high (I used the Emile Henry ceramic baking tray). Makes about 35 servings and keeps for several days in good condition.

• 6 egg whites “L”
• 250gr of sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 250ml of whipping cream 35% fat, very cold
• 250gr of flour
• Sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle on the surface

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, top and bottom heat.
2. Line the pan with parchment paper. Whip the very cold cream. Set aside
3. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt (with the help of a stand mixer you'll do this in a few seconds). When they are halfway whipped, gradually add the sugar until you reach the stiff peaks stage.
4. Add the sifted flour sifted. If you have the KitchenAid, you can do this with the whisk at low speed, otherwise use a spatula and fold with enveloping movements.
5. Add the whipped cream we set aside and incorporate it with folding movements, trying not to deflate the mixture.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the surface.
7. Generously sprinkle the entire surface with a mix of sugar and cinnamon.
8. Bake 10 minutes at 200ºC and another 35 minutes at 180ºC, until when you insert a skewer into the bica it comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes and unmold. Cool completely on a rack.
10. If you can wait, it's even better the next day.

Ceramic oven tray, glass bowl for KitchenAid, Le Creuset silicone spatula and Le Creuset Damascus steel knife.