‘Bola de Berlim’, also known as a Berliner, is a Portuguese version of a doughnut. It is a very popular Portuguese summer pastry which historically originates in Northern German pastry making. ‘Bola de Berlim’ is typically bigger than their German counterpart and uses an egg yolk based filling instead. The filling in a Bola de Berlim in always visible as the doughnut is sliced into halves. They are made with sweet dough fried in oil with some powdered sugar icing on top.

*Makes about 12 Bolas*
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 can of sweet condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons lemon juice

For the dough:
1 oz. yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1.5 cups warm milk
1 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1 pinch of salt
6 cups of flour
1 cup powdered sugar for covering
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
For the filling:
1) In a saucepan mix the milk, egg yolks and butter.
2) Bring to a low heat for about 10 minutes until a smooth and creamy consistency.
3) Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla essence and lemon juice. Stir it in well until it is smooth and consistent. Set it aside in a bowl.

For the dough:
1) In a bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in milk.
2) Combine all ingredients except flour and mix well adding the flour gradually until the dough is easily shaped and kneaded.
3) Form medium sized balls and let them rest on a board sprinkled with flour.
4) Cover with a cloth and let it rise for about 1-2 hours.
5) Fry the balls in a deep frying skillet or pot on high eat one by one until they are golden browned. Turn them over as they fry.
6) Once they are done, place them on a platter with paper towels to dry.
7) After they have cooled slightly, cut them in half without dividing them completely.
8) Fill them with the previously prepared cream and sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Serve.