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Quimbolitos
Steamed sweet cheese and raisin cakes
Quimbolitos: sweet steamed cakes with cheese and raisins wrapped in achira leaves, from Pasto
ColombianSouthern Nariño shares the quimbolito with neighbouring Ecuador. In Pasto these small sweet cakes are steamed in achira leaves and eaten at the mid-afternoon onces with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. The batter is a rich mix of butter, sugar, eggs, wheat and corn flours and fresh cheese, dotted with raisins; steaming makes it light and moist, closer to a sponge pudding than a cake, and the leaf adds a mild green scent. Some cooks add a splash of anise liqueur; this version uses vanilla and keeps it alcohol-free. Fresh cheese is often set with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) one if needed. Achira leaves are rare outside the Andes: banana-leaf pieces or squares of baking paper work. Overfilling is what usually goes wrong, as the batter rises and bursts the parcel, so fill each leaf only halfway. Chef's tip: keep the water at a steady simmer, never a rolling boil, so the cakes rise evenly and stay dry.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 4 ½ oz buttersoftened
- 4 ½ oz sugar
- 3 eggsat room temperature
- 4 ½ oz plain wheat flour
- 2 ⅝ oz fine yellow corn flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 ½ oz fresh white cheese (quesillo)finely grated; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ oz raisins
- 12 achira or banana leavescut into 20 x 25 cm pieces; or baking paper
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Set up a steamer over a pot of simmering water. Wipe 12 achira or banana leaves clean and soften them over a flame or in hot water until pliable.
Step 3: Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
Step 4: Mix 4 ½ oz plain wheat flour, 2 ⅝ oz fine yellow corn flour and 2 tsp baking powder, then fold half into the butter mixture, followed by ½ cup whole milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract, then the rest of the flour, until smooth.
Step 5: Fold in 3 ½ oz fresh white cheese (quesillo) until evenly spread through the batter.
Step 6: Lay a leaf shiny side up, put 2 heaped tablespoons of batter in the centre and press 4–5 1 ¾ oz raisins into the top. Fold the long sides over, then the ends underneath, leaving room to rise.
Step 7: Stand the parcels seam side down in the steamer, leaning slightly. Cover and steam for 35–40 minutes, until well risen and a skewer pushed through the leaf comes out clean.
38 minStep 8: Cool for 5 minutes before unwrapping. Serve warm.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does quimbolitos take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 40 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 butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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