Bolton resident Flavya Brewer has been introducing customers to the traditional bolo de rolo (translates to roll cake) beloved in her home country of northeastern Brazil for a year now, ever since her Rolo Cake Company was born. The cake is similar in appearance to a Swiss roll, yet has an abundance of thin, delicate layers and a flavor uniquely its own. The cake is winning over those new to bolo de rolo and giving a welcomed taste of home to many northeastern Brazilians living in the area.
A bolo de rolo cake. (Courtesy photo)
During a recent interview, Brewer said she started out making four or five cakes a week from her home kitchen. She would deliver them herself and ask every customer for feedback. The positive reviews heightened her confidence and inspired her to grow her business. She was working as a full-time nanny in Harvard at the time, and within a couple of months of embarking on her new venture, she quit her nanny job. “It was a heartbreaking decision, but I knew it was the right one,” said Brewer. She explained that she grew up eating bolo de rolo and started making them as a little girl with her mother in her hometown of Paraiba. The cake can have as many layers as the baker wishes—some versions have 18 layers—but Brewer keeps hers to six. The recipe is simple—butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and “very little sugar, believe it or not,” according to Brewer. She said Brazilians love their sweets, but she cuts the amount of sugar called for in the traditional recipe by half.
Guava fruit is the traditional filling for bolo de rolo. Americans may not be as familiar with guava fruit, which Brewer says has a taste akin to raspberry, as they are with other typical jam-like fillings. “But when they try it, they’re like, ‘Wow this is great,’” she said.
To give her customers here in the States a variety of choices, Brewer began experimenting with flavors and came up with numerous additional ones, including chocolate, coconut, caramel, vanilla birthday cake, double chocolate, peanut butter, tres leches, and key lime. She tests the recipes on her friends and husband, who especially enjoys his job as head taste tester. “His favorite by far is guava, and he’s very picky,” she said.
Brewer explained that bolo de rolo is as popular in northeastern Brazil as cookies are in the United States. It is common to have a small slice of the cake with a cup of coffee in the afternoon. In terms of baking, “Timing has to be perfect,” said Brewer. She bakes each layer for two minutes in the oven. “Any longer and it will be a cookie,” she said. She rolls out a very thin layer of dough onto a cookie sheet, bakes it, and then spreads on the filling while it is still hot. She continues with this process, rolling one sheet inside of another until she reaches her desired six layers. The process is oversimplified here, but Brewer said it takes a lot of work. According to Brewer, “It takes patience and effort” to create these intricate cakes.
Based on the volume of cake sales, Brewer’s hard work is paying off. She sells between 40 and 50 cakes a week at Bolton Orchards alone. Each week she drops off samples for customers to taste. “They try and they buy,” she said. Brewer is surprised yet pleased with her success there. “For a small business like mine in the middle of nowhere, it’s a lot of sales,” she said. She also sells her cakes at Pemberton Farms in Cambridge, Golden Goose market in the North End, and numerous Brazilian grocery stores from Worcester all the way to Hyannis. On average she sells 350 cakes a week at these small markets. Brewer also recently launched her online catalog, which allows customers across the United States to order her product. She’s been averaging 30 cakes a week in online sales in the short time since its launch.
Brewer owes her success in part to filling a void in the local Brazilian dessert market. “No one was doing it,” she said. What does her family back in Brazil think of her success at sharing their cultural delicacy? “They think it’s awesome and they’re very proud,” she said.
Brewer’s cakes retail in local markets for $12.50. Visit the online store at rolocake.com. Check out the catalog for gluten-free options as well.
