Coca Llanda or Tortosa Caldosa

Fluffy and light as a sponge cake, but with a flavor similar to  the tart of Santiago , although surprisingly it does not have almonds. I think I’ve already convinced you, right? I tried this dessert for breakfast in La Rioja, I tried it again in Valencia with the same flavor, the same texture, but with a touch of citrus, oranges and lemon. There I asked the waiter what they called the cake and to my surprise it was neither cake nor broth, but Coca Llanda . A very familiar dessert in all the houses of Levante to which the Valencians give the surname of a rectangular tin mold about 20cm long and about 5cm high, similar to the one used for the Bica de Trives.

In Catalonia and the Balearic Islands they call it Llauna  and along the entire coast you can also find yourself under the name of Coca Secreta or Boba (in Castellón), Coca Malfeta or Mida (in Alicante) and Coca Llanda or de Mida (in Valencia). All the recipes I have read have the same ingredients with different measures, curious. Since it does not change from La Rioja to Valencia, it seems to me that it is a classic of Spanish pastries.

This cake goes up a lot, it is tender that almost melts in the mouth, but quite dense at the same time, it can have grated lemon and orange zest but I keep the flavor without the citrus because the almond leaves are more noticeable, although I do not carry, strange huh ?. Also, to give this look similar to the tart of Santiago,   I have prepared it in a round mold and with its classic crust made of icing sugar. Either way it is perfect to take with a cup of coffee or a good bowl of chocolate, for breakfast or snack … once you try it again because, in addition to being delicious, it is very easy.

Preparation of Coca Llanda

For this recipe I have used a removable ceramic mold of 23 cm in diameter, although with a metal one it will be perfect for you, the ceramic one is also better because when you carry the built-in plate you just have to unmold and that’s it. Anyway, you can use almost any mold, the thinner, the more it will resemble the Santiago cake, and the best to make it like in Levante: la llanda.

The cake is very simple and especially quick to prepare, in 10 minutes you have everything assembled and the oven works only, so I would say that it is a cake that a child can make.

1. Add the sugar and eggs in a bowl. We beat everything well until they blanch a little. We reserve.
2. We add to the egg cream, the flour, the sodas (if you can find them, you can substitute them for 1 envelope of Royal yeast, the envelope usually brings 16 g, the result is not the same as it goes up much more, but the flavor goes to be equal) extra virgin olive oil and whole milk. Mix well with a mixer until you get a homogeneous mass.
3. We preheat the oven to 160º centigrade (above, below and air).
4. We smear the removable mold with a few drops of oil and pour the mixture into it. We introduce the cake in the oven at 170º centigrade for 35-40 minutes until the surface is well browned, the last 10 minutes we cover it with a piece of aluminum foil so that it does not burn us. As I have told you in many other recipes, each oven is a world, in some the cake will be in 40 minutes and in others it will need less. Try a fork every now and then to see if the cake is done, the fork should always come out clean.
5. When the cake is well baked, turn off the oven and leave it inside, with the door open, about 5 minutes.
6. A few minutes later we remove from the mold and decorate with icing sugar. To make it flawless, it is best to sift the icing sugar with a strainer and move it with small wrist pulses on the surface of the cake.

And as I always tell you, share and you will enjoy it twice!