Salvadorian Quesadilla or Quesadilla Salvadorena is a sweet cheese pound cake popular in El Salvador. It has all the ingredients typically used to make cakes such as eggs, butter, flour and baking powder but this cake also has cheese. The ingredients are simply mixed together, poured into a baking dish, sprinkled with sesame seeds and baked.
As expected, ingredients and recipes can vary. Some call for wheat, maize or rice flour. The type of cheese used is up to personal taste. Amongst the more popular choices are parmesan, cotija, feta, queso fresco and queso duro blanco or “hard cheese.” Some recipes also include sour cream.
Origin and Cultural Significance
The word quesadilla does not have a literal translation. The quesa portion means cheese. The meaning of dilla is disputed. A quesadilla is usually a tortilla flatbread, filled with cheese and sometimes other ingredients, folded over and cooked until the cheese has melted and holds everything together.
The Salvadoren Quesadilla is unusual. It does contain cheese, but rather than using bread, it begins as a batter. Unlike other quesadillas it is sweet, not savory. In El Salvador this sweet cheese pound cake is a staple at breakfast time.
El Salvadorian Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled – 1 cup
- All-purpose flour – 2 ½ cups
- Baking powder – 1 tbsp
- Kosher salt – ½ tsp
- Eggs - 7
- Sugar - 2 cups
- Vanilla extract – ¾ tsp
- Cotija cheese, finely grated – 3 cups
- Whole milk – 1 cup
- Sesame seeds – ¼ cup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Butter a rectangular baking dish or line a pan with parchment.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Separate eggs, placing yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whites in a separate small bowl.
- Add sugar and vanilla to egg yolks and beat on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium, add cheese and beat just to combine.
- Reduce speed to low. Add milk in 3 additions, incorporating completely after each addition before adding more.
- Stream in the melted butter and beat until combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape batter into a large bowl.
- Thoroughly clean and dry mixer bowl to remove any yolk fat.
- Combine egg whites and a pinch of salt in bowl.
- Using whisk attachment, beat, starting on medium-low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, until tripled in volume and peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Add half of the egg whites to batter and fold in with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.
- Repeat with remaining egg whites.
- Scrape batter into prepared baking dish then sprinkle the sesame seeds over.
- Bake, rotating halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 24–28 minutes.
- Let cool slightly before running a spatula or knife along the sides to loosen the sides. Serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 648Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 217mgSodium: 777mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 1gSugar: 41gProtein: 16g