Author Notes: Think cheesy poundcake. Think party food. Think happy mornings, popping a few too many quesadillas in your mouth. In El Salvador they eat rich, buttery quesadillas in the morning with a big cup of coffee and I suggest you do the same. You’ll love the slight crunch of the sesame seeds in combination with the sweet/salty cake.
Note: An asterix indicates ingredients that can sometimes include gluten. Generally, gluten free versions can be purchased at health food stores. Be sure to read all labels carefully. – [email protected] —Sasha (Global Table Adventure)
Food52 Review: We were instantly won over by these mysterious, ethereal breakfast cakes. Even the uncooked batter, a cloud of sugar, butter, sour cream and rice flour lightened with egg and perfumed with parmesan, inspired rhapsodic musings. Sasha’s Salvadoran “quesadillas” are a unique blend of sweet, savory and tangy, with the texture of a fine, delicate corn muffin. The edges of the little cakes crisp and brown beautifully, while the centers remain snow white and tender. We recommend letting them cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan — we found they slipped out easily this way. – A&M —The Editors
Makes: 18
Ingredients
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1
cup rice flour
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1
teaspoon baking powder
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1
pinch salt
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1
cup butter, softened
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1
cup sugar
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3
large eggs
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1
cup sour cream*
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1/2
cup grated hard cheese, such as cojita or parmesan*
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sesame seeds, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the rice flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, in the bowl of a standing mixer, cream the butter with sugar. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Next beat in the sour cream, cheese, and rice flour mixture until a smooth batter forms.
- Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling each one 4/5th of the way up (this batter does not rise much). Sprinkle on the sesame seeds, to taste.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature – it’ll taste like a cheesy pound cake. Amazing with a cuppa coffee in the morning.
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What you'll need: butter (lots of it), rice flour, baking powder, Parmesan, egg, sour cream, sugar and sesame seeds.
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These light, airy cakes get their lift from good old-fashioned baking powder.
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Rice flour, baking powder and salt get whisked together.
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Merrill borrowed one of her mother's favorite tricks for buttering the muffin tins: she used the wrappers from the two sticks of butter that go into the recipe.
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The batter starts off as a cloud of butter, sugar and egg.
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Make sure to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go!
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Another egg…
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Then, a full cup of sour cream goes in.
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The "wow" ingredient here is the the cheese (we used Parmesan) — it really lifts the cakes to a whole other level.
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The dry ingredients go in last.
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Do you see the texture of this batter? Gorgeous.
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The cakes are topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds — a nice, subtle touch.
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We loved the way the edges browned, while the centers stayed snowy.
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Breakfast is served!
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