Torta Loca. Málaga's Gastronomy
An original Málaga cake that has over time started to be sold outside our region
The Crazy Cake is a simple and good pastry coming from the Tejeros, one of the great families of confectioners in Málaga. Its name is attributed to the fact it was prepared in a bakery opposite an old women's psychiatric hospital. During hard times, a hard-working and brave woman named Mari Ángeles, decided to transform the humble kitchen of her home in the hamlet "Camino de los almendrales" into a small bakery where, with black-market flour, she made buns, fried doughnuts, and borrachuelos, to later sell them in the dairy stores and in the old bread shops in the traditional neighbourhoods of Málaga.
José Ruiz, a young lad, accompanied his mother in these tasks and over the years learned the craft. Time passed and thanks to effort and dedication, what initially began as a lifesaver ends up being a recognised bakery. In Victoria and Capuchinos, the smell of baked goods starts to waft through the air and from the wood ovens and pots come cakes, pestiños and torrijas bringing sweetness in exchange for very little to the simplest people - which at that time was the majority. Eduardo Rubio, a player from Málaga Sports Club, enters the scene and is lucky to meet "Mari Tejeros and Pepe Ruiz", with whom he manages to create enough synergy to achieve a main objective: to elevate the level and quality of the sweets that the people of Málaga enjoyed.
Tough times to enjoy the most refined and exquisite sweets
In those days, the sweets that most Malagueños could access were basic and perhaps somewhat coarse. Nothing like today, as fine pastry was completely inaccessible to most. A good sweet was an exclusive luxury for the wealthy classes, while ordinary people settled for cakes and dry biscuits that had a toasted almond on top as a touch of distinction. In response to this situation, a different cake was created that completely changed the Malagueños' view of sweets.
Two puff pastry discs, a custard cream and an orange glaze on top crowned with half a cherry are the elements that make up the crazy cake. Everything simple and cheap, including the glaze that, although it may seem otherwise, was not egg yolk but a sugar glaze that was much cheaper. By the late seventies, this sweet was a hit in Málaga. Parents come home with a bundle of crazy cakes, fresh and creamy. That's the story of this genuine sweet that crosses borders. It's sent halfway around the world to gift Málaga.
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