Vilana or milana cake

La Gomera cake made with sweet potato or potato, eggs, sugar, almonds, oil, flour, raisins, lemon and cinnamon.

Vilana or milana cake
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History and origin

Rosa Ventura identifies torta de vilana or milana as a typical La Gomera dessert and notes that it is usually prepared at Christmas. She also presents it as a resourceful recipe born from leftover boiled potatoes, mixed with eggs, flour, sugar, almonds and raisins.

Cultural context

The same source explains that the traditional recipe uses potatoes, although the documented version uses sweet potatoes. The name is linked to the vilana or milana, a metal tray used for making sweets.

Documented ingredients

  • 1 kg sweet potatoes
  • 8 eggs
  • 400 g sugar
  • 300 g almonds
  • 185 g extra virgin olive oil
  • Zest of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 300 g plain wheat flour
  • 1 sachet baking powder, 16 g
  • 200 g raisins
  • Optional rum

Documented preparation

  1. Wash the sweet potatoes, cut into medium pieces and boil them unpeeled until done.
  2. Peel and grind the almonds, reserving a handful for decorating.
  3. Peel the cooked sweet potato and mash it into a fine puree.
  4. Mix puree, eggs, ground almonds, oil, sugar, lemon zest and cinnamon.
  5. Fold in sifted flour with baking powder, add raisins and pour into a lined tin.
  6. Decorate with almonds and bake at 180 C for about 1 hour, until a skewer comes out clean.

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