[1] The traditional recipe calls for dough made of flour mixed with lard (or butter), rolled into balls the size of walnuts, that is baked without the use of a leavening agent.

Some modern recipes optionally use lemon zest or vanilla,[3] or incorporate ground almonds and glacé cherries.

[11] Unlike other areias which are formed like cookie dough, this cake is made with a batter that are baked into small individual molds.

When the over two-century year old cake recipe was taken out from the convent to Lourinhã, it was named after the nearby beach Praia da Areia Branca.

[16] In 2016, it was featured at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in a video entitled "The Most Famous Unknown Cake".