Ingredients
Batter
- 200 grice flour
- 2 tspbaking powder
- ¼ tspsalt
- 200 gqueso duro blando or Parmesan, finely grated
- 200 gcaster sugar
- 170 gbutter, softened
- 4large eggs, at room temperature
- 200 mlcrema salvadorena or soured cream
- 1 tspvanilla extract (optional)
To finish
- 2 tbspwhite sesame seeds
- butter and flour, for the tin
Directions
- Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and butter and flour a 23 cm square tin or two small loaf tins.
- Sift the rice flour with the baking powder and salt, then stir through the grated cheese so every strand is coated in flour and cannot clump.
- Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk for a full 5 minutes until pale, light and visibly increased in volume.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating 30 seconds after each. The batter may look curdled halfway through; it comes back together.
- Fold in the cheese-and-flour mixture and the crema alternately in three additions, stopping the moment it is smooth. Overworking gives a bready, springy crumb instead of a tight one.
- Scrape into the tin, level the top and scatter the sesame seeds evenly right to the edges.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until deep gold, domed and cracked along the top, and a skewer comes out clean; the kitchen should smell of toasted cheese rather than sponge cake.
- Cool 15 minutes in the tin, cut into squares and serve warm with coffee. It is a mid-afternoon merienda, not a pudding.
Technique
- Despite the name it has nothing to do with a Mexican quesadilla. Queso here is the seasoning: a hard, dry, salty cheese against the sugar is the whole point.
- Rice flour gives the characteristic tight, faintly sandy pound-cake crumb; an all-wheat version comes out spongy and wrong.
- Crema salvadorena is thinner and more sour than double cream, so use soured cream loosened with a splash of milk rather than anything thick and sweet.
Substitutions
- No queso duro blando: Parmesan or a dry Cotija bring the same salt and dryness. Avoid soft cheeses, which wet the batter and stop it rising.
Variations
- Baked in individual fluted moulds as the quesadillas sold at bus stops and roadside stands across the country.
- Some bakers add 2 tbsp of milk powder for a denser, richer crumb that keeps better.
History
A sweet cheese and rice-flour cake, not a tortilla; it is a coffee-time bread sold in bakeries and at bus stations.
Frequently asked questions
What is Quesadilla salvadoreña?
Quesadilla salvadoreña is a bread & pastry from El Salvador: sweet cheese pound cake sprinkled with sesame. A sweet cheese and rice-flour cake, not a tortilla; it is a coffee-time bread sold in bakeries and at bus stations.
How long does Quesadilla salvadoreña take to make?
Quesadilla salvadoreña takes 20 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10–12 slices. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Quesadilla salvadoreña?
Yes, within limits. No queso duro blando: Parmesan or a dry Cotija bring the same salt and dryness. Avoid soft cheeses, which wet the batter and stop it rising.
What is the most important thing to get right in Quesadilla salvadoreña?
Fold in the cheese-and-flour mixture and the crema alternately in three additions, stopping the moment it is smooth. Overworking gives a bready, springy crumb instead of a tight one.
