Bizcocho de Novia Puertorriqueño

Baking

This vanilla cake with festive sprinkles is absolutely one of my favorite cakes of all time. I’ve met a lot of cakes in my long cake-filled life (I’m partial to chocolate because, hey, it’s chocolate). However, this cake specifically is just something else. It literally translates to “Bride’s Cake”, and a lot of people call it or think it’s a literal “Wedding Cake”. Bizcocho de novia is actually closer to a birthday cake. Unlike a wedding cake, this won’t have as many eggs or the almond flavoring. Instead, bizcocho de novia has a unique frosting and the sponge is fluffier and crumbly.

This cake is sold in practically EVERY Puerto Rican bakery on the island. They all have different recipes, but this recipe is modeled after my favorite version which can be found in Aguadilla, PR.

Bizcocho de novia is basically a yellow birthday cake with a variant wedding cake frosting that’s just a little looser, and the bottom of the cake is ALWAYS COVERED IN SUGAR.

HERE WE GO!

Ingredients:

3 3/4 of C of cake flour
1 THICC TBS of baking powder
1 1/2 C of sugar (granulated white sugar)
1 1/2 C of buttermilk (I made my own with whole milk)
3 large eggs
2 tsp of GOOD vanilla extract
1 stick of salted butter or 1/2 C of salted butter
1/2 of vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/2 tsp of salt
Little round sprinkles

Frosting:

1/4 C of heavy whipping cream
4 C of powdered sugar
1 C of Crisco
1 tsp of vanilla extract

We all know that the first thing you’re going to want to do is PRE HEAT YOUR OVEN TO 350 Degrees.

Cool, once that oven is preheating you’re going to prepare your molds by lining the bottom with parchment paper. This is super important because this cake is VERY FLUFFY. You’re going to want to use parchment paper. Set those aside because now we’re about to get to making this cake.

Go grab your room temperature butter and sugar, and beat those together (preferably in a stand mixer) until the butter isn’t lumpy and the sugar doesn’t seem to have a lot of grit. Then gradually add the vegetable oil. You’re going to want the mixture to look emulsified. It’ll look light and fluffy.

Fluffier than this. This is about a little over mid-level fluff you want 40% more fluff.

While your fats and sugars concoct, you’re going to want to sift your flour, baking powder, and salt together.

By now, your fat concoction should be done, making it the time to add the liquids. I added the buttermilk first and then the vanilla; mix those in for a bit. Add the eggs, mix them in, and then add your dry ingredients. Mix until the cake batter is smooth and homogeneous. Then, to finish it off, fold the mixture in by hand.

Fill your molds as seen HERE

I have swan measuring cups because they remind me of Zeus

As the cakes bake, you’ll want to prepare the “Cooling and Sugaring areas”. Cooling areas depend on what you have. I have a cooling rack so that’s what these will be placed on. The bottom of these cakes are coated in a thin layer of sugar. I used a cookie sheet and added a thin layer of granulated sugar (enough to coat the bottom but not piled high) then I plopped the cake bottom side first into the sugar.

Bake for 30-33 minutes. Do NOT over-bake. This cake will be HELLA dry if you do. If the center looks a little wet by the 29 min mark, stab the cake through the heart to check, but if you see a jiggle THE CAKE IS NOT READY. Do not stab. No jiggles should be jigged in order to check for the cake’s doneness.

Golden babes resting

On to the frosting! You’re going to take your Crisco and vanilla and mix those together while gradually adding the cups of powdered sugar. Once you notice the frosting is beginning to look a little on the thicker side you’re going to want to add the heavy whipping cream. Mix until it’s nice and creamy.

It’s time to frost and sprinkle these cakes! This is how I did it which is HELLA SLOPPY (I would say rustic) but I have zero regrets. You know when you literally dance in front of your cakes as they cool in hopes that they cool faster? No? Yes? Yes. Because I did. It didn’t help anyone and only made my desire for this cake grow.

9 thoughts on “Bizcocho de Novia Puertorriqueño”

  1. Is this cake wet at the bottom? I’m looking for a good recipe, but I’m wondering how it gets the wet/moist texture? Not looking for bizcocho mojadito. I have a bakery near me that does this bizcocho de novia, and I want to try and make it.

    1. This cake is fairly moist but I wouldn’t exactly call it wet or say it has a wet bottom. Good luck on your baking adventure!

    1. I made the cake but it did not turn fluffy it was flat and more dense then fluffy should I have ised baking soda instead of powder?

      1. I use 9 in round cake pans. If it’s dense it might have been overmixed. THICC is just a slang word used to describe beautifully big things and since the tablespoon is the biggest spoon measure in the pack, I thought I’d have some fun with it. Baking soda wouldn’t make your cake fluffier. You could sift the flour before adding it in and then sift it again when you add it into the mixture, and that would definitely make it fluffier. Using all purpose instead of cake flour will also make it denser. I’m so sorry to hear that your cake ended up flat! That’s so upsetting!

        1. Thank you for responding. Yeah not sure what went wrong. I did shift and did use cake flour ‍♀️ Not sure maybe I over mixed the butter/ oil and wet ingredients but I barely mixed it when I added the dry ingredients. I will try again 🙂 thanks!

  2. Made this beautiful cake today. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely reminds me of the delicious bakery cakes. Had a great crumb and the frosting was addictive.

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