Yesterday, I featured Torta Cebuana, a recipe from Mrs. Gertrudes Ybanez-Noval, the baking teacher of my mom. This is another Torta version of Mrs. Noval called Torta Banawa. Banawa is the place where Mrs. Noval lived and where she held her baking classes.

2 cups cake flour, sifted
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup corn oil
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp. aniseeds
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup sugar

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs (whole eggs and egg yolks) until lemon-colored. Add the sugar gradually and continue beating until smooth and fluffy.

3. Blend in dry ingredients alternately with milk (start and end with the dry ingredients). Fold in gently corn oil, melted butter and aniseeds.

4. Pour into paper-lined torta tins.

5. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Remove from oven and brush tops with the slightly beaten egg and sprinkle with grated cheese and sugar. Return to the oven and bake just enough to dry the topping.

Note: Whole milk was not readily available in the 1960’s to the 1980’s. Thus, we used evaporated milk. We would dilute the evaporated milk in a 1:1 ratio or less. So, if a recipe called for 1 cup milk, we would use 1 cup evaporated milk and 1 cup water. For a lighter milk texture, we would use 1/2 cup milk and 1-1/2 cups water. You would have to experiment to see what proportions work for your recipe.