I was called Maria,
when I first came to Buzios.
In love with the village, I decided to stay here and never leave.
In love, always, I started making sweets and more sweets.
In love, still, I set up a caffè called Maré Mansa for over thirty years.
My name is still Maria in the memory of the many friends I made here.
Now my caffè is called Maria Maria and it is next to a sea full of little boats, just like it used to be, when I arrived here.
My grandson Rodrigo is there.
There you can stay unhurried, with your eyes lost on the sea and your thoughts far away.
There, during the day, the sun shines golden on the terrace and the laughter of the seagulls brings a partying joy that surrounds the entire space.
There, at night, the moon looms solemnly over the white marble tables that sparkle silver like strange round stars.
So is Maria Maria Café: a charming little piece that remains of the village that was lost in time.

This poetry belongs to a grandmother, who loved all the good art that exists in life and who created recipes with art in a magical place in Brazil, a lady who left the world sweeter with her pastries and cakes and left it to her grandson Rodrigo Sobral the task of keeping all its sweetness in this world.

I met Maria Maria Café in 2013 when I moved to the Búzios peninsula in Rio de Janeiro, one of those places we call paradise on earth. This caffè is a little part of this paradise, with gardens, works of art on the walls, a unique and unparalleled sea view and of course, many delights. It seems to be a cinema scene, the caffè is located in the heart of the city, on the famous Rua das Pedras, and everyone who visits Armação goes there for a souvenir photo with a delicious artisan coffee, pie or gelato. In 2015 I had the opportunity to meet and work with Rodrigo for the first time and today I can say that I consider him a dear friend, during all these years together there were drawings, photographs and a lot of developed art, and I can say that Maria Maria is my favorite client. The Recipe of Chef in Studio received this more than special gift that was able to reproduce one of Maria Maria's delicious recipes: the special Torta Morango con Doce de Leite, which in addition to combining these delicious ingredients is also very beautiful to photograph.

Torta Morango con Doce de Leite

White Cake:

Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 420 grams of sugar
- 440 grams of flour
- 100 ml of milk
- 20 grams of margarine
- 20 gr of baking powder

Preparation
Beat the eggs in the mixer at maximum speed for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gradually add the flour, alternating it with the milk and mixing with the margarine. Finally add the baking powder and mix well. Grease a 24 cm diameter pan only with margarine and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C.

Filling and Topping:

Ingredients
- 150 ml of milk
- 50 ml of coconut milk
- 15 grams of condensed milk
- 250 grams of dulce de leche
- 300 ml of whipped cream (chantilly)
- 300 gr of chopped strawberries
- 6 whole strawberries

Preparation
Whip the cream until firm and creamy. Open the cake in half. Moisten half of the cake with half of the milk, coconut milk and condensed milk. Place the dulce de leche and then add the chopped strawberries on top. Cover with the other half of the cake and wet it again with the milk (do not overdo it). Top with the whipped cream and decorate with some strawberries.