Guardanapos

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

This Portuguese dessert combines sponge cake and creamy, sweet custard. Unlike similar desserts, the sponge cake in guardanapos is cut into squares, before it is filled with custard and folded in half. The custard is usually flavored with vanilla or lemon zest, while the whole cakes are often coated in caster or powdered sugar. Because of their unusual shape, these pastries were named guardanapos , which translates as napkins or serviettes .