When the rain drums on the windows in Brazil, many people get out the bag of flour and the mixing bowl. Bolinho de chuva literally means “little rain cake”, and the name comes from the fact that these small, sugary fritters are made on grey, rainy days when the family is gathered indoors anyway. Traditionally, the batter is dropped into hot oil with a spoon, but with bolinho de chuva in the air fryer, you bake the fritters in small greased moulds and skip the pot of deep-frying oil altogether.
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The batter itself is a simple baking powder batter of plain flour, eggs, milk and sugar – ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard. The fritters turn out light and cake-like inside, and once they have been brushed with butter and tossed in cinnamon sugar, they are hard to stop eating.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love bolinho de chuva in the air fryer
Bolinho de chuva is baking without any fuss. There is no rising time, no kneading and no choux pastry to be stirred over the heat – just a thick batter that is mixed together in a quarter of an hour. That is why these small fritters are my go-to when there is nothing to go with the afternoon coffee, or when the kids are bored on a rainy day.
In the air fryer, I get the same warm, sugary fritters without standing over a pot of hot oil. The kitchen smells of cinnamon and butter instead of deep-frying, and there is no used oil to get rid of afterwards. The fritters turn out slightly more cake-like than the deep-fried ones, but with a brushing of butter and a coating of cinnamon sugar, the difference is smaller than you might think.
Why small moulds make the difference
The traditional batter is made to be dropped into hot oil, where the surface sets immediately. That does not happen in an air fryer, so a dollop of batter placed directly in the basket spreads out and sticks to the bottom. Small greased silicone moulds of about 5 cm hold the batter while the fritters rise. At the end, I turn them out of the moulds and give them 2 minutes upside down, so they turn golden all the way round – almost as if they came from the deep fryer.
My kitchen test of bolinho de chuva
I have baked bolinho de chuva in my Cosori Dual Blaze, where the heat comes from both above and below in the single basket. At 170 °C, 8 minutes in the moulds was enough for the fritters to rise and turn lightly golden on top. Then I turned them out with tongs and baked them for 2 more minutes upside down, until they sprang back when lightly pressed.
The batter makes about 16 small fritters, so I bake them in 2 batches of 10 minutes each. With 15 minutes of preparation, they are ready in 35 minutes in total. In my Philips XXL, there is room for 8-10 moulds in a single layer with a little space between them, and that suits two batches well.
Grease the moulds thoroughly, also up the sides, and fill them only three-quarters full so the batter has room to rise.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is turning up the heat to get colour faster. Then the top turns dark before the middle is baked through. Stick to 170 °C, and let the last 2 minutes without the mould give the golden colour. The second mistake is stirring for too long once the flour mixture goes in. That makes the fritters dense and tough, so stop when there are no more dry bits of flour. The third mistake is tossing the fritters in cinnamon sugar once they have gone cold. Then the sugar does not stick. Brush them with melted butter while they are warm instead, and roll them in the cinnamon sugar straight away.
How to serve bolinho de chuva
The fritters taste best while they are still warm, and they work just as well on a weekday as at a party:
- With the afternoon coffee, just as they are eaten in Brazil
- With a glass of cold milk, which the kids especially love
- With doce de leite (Brazilian milk caramel) for dipping
- With melted dark chocolate as a dip
- On the cake table at the children’s birthday party
Storage and reheating
The fritters are best on the same day, but they can be stored in an airtight bag at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. Warm them in the air fryer at 160 °C for 2-3 minutes, and they become soft and fresh again. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated straight in the air fryer without thawing. If you are going to freeze them, it is best to hold off on the cinnamon sugar and toss them in butter and cinnamon sugar once they have been reheated.
Bolinho de chuva is good proof that cosy baking does not have to be complicated. With a simple batter, a set of small moulds and an air fryer, you get warm, airy fritters with cinnamon sugar without a pot of deep-frying oil – even on days when the sun is shining.
FAQ
It is not recommended. The batter is too soft to hold its shape on its own and spreads out in the basket. Use small greased silicone moulds, and only turn the fritters out of them for the last 2 minutes.
Bolinhos de chuva are made from a simple batter with baking powder and turn out soft and cake-like inside. Portuguese sonhos and Spanish buñuelos are made from choux pastry and turn out hollow.
It literally means “little rain cake”. The name comes from the fact that the small fritters are traditionally made on rainy days in Brazil, when the family is gathered indoors.
Recipe
Bolinho de chuva in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Pastry brush
- 10 Silicone molds - Small, about 5 cm in diameter
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Deep plate
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Melt 25 g butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and let it cool slightly.
- Whisk 2 pcs eggs and 50 g sugar together in a mixing bowl for about 1 minute, until the egg mixture is pale and lightly foamy.
- Stir 1 dl milk and the melted butter into the egg mixture.
- Grease the small silicone moulds thoroughly with half of the 2 tsp neutral oil and a pastry brush, also up the sides, so the fritters release easily.
- Fill as many moulds as there is room for in the basket in a single layer with a little space between them (typically 8-10). Spoon the batter in so the moulds are about three-quarters full, as the batter rises during baking.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 170 °C fan.
- Place the moulds in the basket and bake at 170 °C for 8 minutes, until the fritters have risen and are lightly golden on top.
- Turn the fritters out of the moulds with tongs and place them upside down directly in the basket. Bake them at 170 °C for 2 more minutes, until they are golden all over and spring back when lightly pressed.
- Grease the moulds again with the rest of the oil and bake the rest of the batter in the same way: 8 minutes in the moulds and 2 minutes out of the moulds at 170 °C.
Cinnamon sugar and serving
- Mix 75 g sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a deep plate.
- Melt 30 g butter in the small saucepan while the last batch is baking.
- Brush the warm fritters with the melted butter and immediately roll them in the cinnamon sugar so that it sticks well.
- Serve the bolinhos de chuva warm, ideally with a cup of coffee.
Our notes for the recipe
The batter is too soft to hold its shape on its own in the basket, so bake it in small greased silicone moulds and fill them only three-quarters full. The last 2 minutes upside down and without the mould give a golden surface all the way round, almost like when the fritters are deep-fried. A little melted butter in the batter keeps the fritters moist, as they do not get any fat from the deep fryer. Baking powder batter, not choux pastry:
Bolinhos de chuva are made from a simple batter with baking powder, not from choux pastry like buñuelos and sonhos. That is why they turn out soft and cake-like inside instead of hollow. Variation:
Fold a ripe, finely chopped banana into the batter, as is often done in Brazil, or add a little grated lemon zest. For dipping, doce de leite (Brazilian milk caramel) or melted chocolate goes well. Serving:
In Brazil, bolinhos de chuva are traditionally made on rainy days and eaten warm with afternoon coffee. A glass of cold milk goes well with them too. Portion size:
The batter makes about 16 small fritters, equivalent to 4 servings. In a smaller air fryer, you bake them in several batches.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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