AI-generated image
Latiya
Sponge cake with custard
Guam's sponge cake under vanilla custard and cinnamon
Latiya is the Chamorro custard cake found at every Guam fiesta and wedding, a legacy of Spanish rule: a light sponge in a tray is covered with a thick, silky vanilla custard and dusted with cinnamon, then chilled and cut into squares. It is cool, creamy and perfect after a hot-weather feast. A common mistake is pouring hot custard straight onto a hot sponge, which turns it soggy; cool the cake first. Chef's tip: lay cling film directly on the custard as it cools so no skin forms.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 4 eggs
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ⅜ oz buttermelted
For the custard
- 3 ¼ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz cornflour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 23 × 33 cm tin.
5 minStep 2: Beat 4 eggs and 5 ½ oz caster sugar for 8 minutes until thick and pale. Fold in 5 ½ oz plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder, then ¼ cup milk and 1 ⅜ oz butter.
10 minStep 3: Spread in the tin and bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and springy. Cool completely in the tin.
25 minStep 4: Whisk 3 ¼ cups whole milk, ¾ cup evaporated milk, 5 ½ oz sugar, 2 ⅛ oz cornflour and 3 egg yolks in a pan. Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, for 8–10 minutes until it boils and is very thick. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla extract.
12 minStep 5: Cool the custard for 10 minutes, then spread it over the sponge and press cling film onto the surface.
5 minStep 6: Chill for at least 3 hours. Dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and cut into squares.
180 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does latiya take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
MarquesitasCheese and cajeta crepes
Evening in Mérida's Plaza Grande means the smell of marquesitas: thin batter pressed in hot hinged irons until crisp, then rolled like a cigar around grated Edam cheese and a sweet filling such as cajeta, chocolate-hazelnut spread or jam. Edam came to the Yucatán through the port trade with the Netherlands and became part of the local cooking, and the salty-sweet combination is the whole point. At home you can cook them in a thin, wide frying pan. Edam is usually made with animal rennet, so check the label or use a vegetarian Gouda-style cheese. Chef's tip: roll while the crêpe is still in the pan and hot; within seconds it hardens and will crack.
Mexican