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Each year in the small Town of Guia in Central Algarve  Holds a Giant Cake festival as you can see from the Photographs below, it is held every Easter the Cake is really more a spicy bread that contains hard boiled eggs complete with the shell on it is known in Portugal as Folar it measures around 2 metre across, it is always eaten  at Easter, even though Portugal in mostly a Catholic country it has been ruled by the Moors back in History, the reason for the hard boiled eggs complete with shell dates back to Pagan times, when the egg was to symbolize rebirth and was celebrated with a festival, this ritual seems to now be common with the Easter egg taking place in chocolate form as well as the traditional hand painted hard boiled egg that became very popular in the Victorian period with the Easter egg hunt held over the holiday period

Many Countries hold there own way to celebrate Easter, like that of England that celebrates with its Easter cake known as Hot cross buns with the cross decoration for the symbol of the cross that Christ was crucified on, if you want to try your own Folar recipe see below

What you need

425 grams of flour

12 grams of fresh yeast or 1 packet of dried

40 grams of fine sugar you can use brown

100 grams of butter salted or unsalted

2 eggs 1 is for glazing before baking

300 ml of fresh milk

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1 teaspoon of Aniseed

Pinch of salt

2-3 hard boiled eggs with the shell left on

How to Make

In a mixing bowl place the yeast, 1/4 of flour, a 1/3 of the milk (warmed) and half of the sugar.

Mix until it forms a dough in texture, cover then leave in a warm place 20-30 minutes until raised

Beat the eggs, add the salt, spices, and the rest of milk and sugar.

Mix the rest of the flour and eggs, remove from the bowl on a floured surface kneed in the butter a little at a time

Cover the dough with a tea towel  leave it to rise until nearly doubled in size about 2-3 hours in a warm place but not a oven.

Shape into round loaf shape then push in the hard boiled eggs you can leave them partly showing

Brush dough with the beaten egg then place in the middle of the oven.

Cook at 425F/Gas 7 until golden brown

The fair is held on Easter Sunday and the Cutting of the Cake/bread normally takes place at about 2 oClock the event has live music  and entertainment for the Children, it can vary each year, from Bouncy castles as well as jugglers, it is easy to find just near the football bar in the main high street it starts to wind down at about 8pm. The cake is so large that you do not need to worry about tasting your free slice, in most cases you are welcome to have a couple of pieces as it is brought around on trays