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"Drunken" sponge cake of Tarancón

Tarancón, La Mancha Conquense, Cuenca

1 Villages · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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"Drunken" sponge cake of Tarancón

Food and drink · Tarancón, La Mancha Conquense, Cuenca

Image of Tarancón, not of the place itself.

Bizcocho borracho is a Spanish pastry made with a batter of egg, flour, sugar, yeast and water that rises in the oven and is then soaked, for at least an hour, in a syrup whose recipe is a secret held by each pastry chef. Although in many localities the syrup is mixed with liquor — rum, sweet wine, sherry, brandy or whisky —, the version prepared by the confectioners of Tarancón, in the province of Cuenca, is spongy and contains no alcohol, and is dusted with cinnamon and sugar. They tend to be small and are presented in little paper boxes; in Tarancón they accompany family celebrations and patron saint festivities. This speciality is also found, with variations, in Vellisca, Guadalajara, Alcañices, Ojós and Nájera.

Photo: carrodeguas (CC BY-SA 3.0)

What to see and do in Tarancón