My family is from Carcar and the torta between Carcar and Argao are very different. Argao’s is more sponge cake-like and there is no crust, hence I suspect the use of yeast and being baked in ovens. Torta, mamon, lard cookies, and bread-pastry making were the livelihood of my late great-aunt and they churned out sacks of these. Of course I am a purist and I revive the traditional way of making them when I go home. It is not ensaimada and we do not use cheese or raisins.
– Only use the eggyolks of native chickens as they give a golden, glowing yellow color. Torta is measured by how many dozens of eggs used, there is no limit. Some people use orange food coloring or orange soda to recreate that color. Once you see the real one, you will never forget that shade.
– We don’t use tuba as it gives a tart flavor from the tungog bark that is used to color tuba brown. Tungog is the same one used to give the red hue to the wooden floors and walls of old, unpainted houses. I use lina – the day or 2 old pre-tuba that is clear in color. Yes, the raising of the dough is unpredictable so people take turns keeping watch of the dough. Sometimes it takes almost 24 hours to rise. One time, my aunt woke up at 3 am to bake them!
– Much lard is used. The consistency of the dough is a very oily mixture, that slides from one’s hand like slime. The lard has to be heated before added to the mixture.
– We use the old fashioned rattan “mixer” to spin the dough. For the handmixing part, the dough has to be mixed in fast, gentle stroke in an up-scooping manner and always in the same direction.
– We use the clay ovens to bake, the one in which heat is applied on top and bottom of the clay oven. First use the dried coconut leaves to apply instant, high heat.Then coconut husks for a longer, slower heat. Uling does not give the consistency and variation of heat need for the clay oven. The clay ovens are made in Sibonga, the town between Carcar and Argao.
– The test of Carcar’s version is that when the torta is sliced, the pieces should open up and it should look airy. The ones from bakeries are too cake-like and dense.

It was a thrilling day for me when we were able to recreate the taste of the traditional torta of my family. When my great-aunt died, no one wanted to bake torta and mamon anymore for fear of ridicule. People would still shout out during processions asking for these. My family is the only one who still make it the old-fashioned way.

By the way, the inasal in Carcar do not use tanglad or lemongrass. We use a different herb that Mexicans also use.