You know how I like cakes and shortbreads; I find them a perfect breakfast and snack combined with a homemade fruit jam. This one used to receive it and eat it as a child at Easter, decorated with some chocolate figure or sugar flower. This, of course, is the simple version of that traditional shortbread from Avilés.
The mantecado is easy to make and even easier to remember. The rule for its elaboration is that of the four rooms which consists of using the same amount of four ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. The frosting is optional; I don't usually like them very much but this one is light and subtle.
- 250 g. good quality butter at room temperature
- 250 g. of sugar
- 250 g. eggs at room temperature (about 4)
- 250 g. sifted pastry flour
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons of milk
- chocolate balls (optional)
- We beat with some rods butter and sugar for about 15 minutes until they form a thin dough.
- We incorporate the eggs one by one without stopping to beat until obtaining a fluffy cream, with air.
- Add the sifted flour and mix with envolvent movements helping us with a spatula. It has to be fast so that the cream does not fall off.
- We pour the dough into a previously greased and floured mold.
- We put in the oven previously preheated to 190º C with heat up and down. Cook for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180º and leave for 40 more minutes; or until when we click with a stick we see that it is done.
- We remove from the oven and let it warm in the mold 10 minutes before unmold it on a wire rack to finish cooling.
- When it is cold, we cover with the glaze. To do this, we mix the sugar and milk until we achieve a dense dough.
- We let the frosting set to serve.