Traditional desserts in Spain abound in every region and in every town. Whether they are doughnuts, custard or perrunillas, the people of the country have known how to shape their sweets by taking advantage of their resources. The secret of quesada pasiega lies there, in the use of what they had, milk, and therefore, cheese. After all, this is what Cantabria is, a region that developed around cows and what they offered. Here we have the traditional recipe, the real one. No yogurt, no cream, no vanilla, no milk. Well, it does have milk, but in the form of cheese. And no, this is nothing like a cheesecake, please.
Quesada pasiega. | Shutterstock
Ingredients for the quesada pasiega:
- 200 g sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g butter
- 750 g fresh cheese of very good quality
- 120 g flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 20×30 cm rectangular mold
How to make the quesada pasiega:
- It is very simple. The important thing is not to beat the mixture and to stir it with manual rods. It is essential that the quesada pasiega has lumps of cheese.
- In a bowl add the sugar and the eggs. Stir very well until the sugar dissolves. Now add the melted butter and continue stirring.
Then pour the drained and crumbled cheese with a fork on a plate beforehand. It is important to break it up beforehand so that the pieces are not too large. - Add in the bowl also the flour, the cinnamon, the lemon zest and the pinch of salt. Mix with the whisk until everything is well blended. Remember, it is important that the dough is lumpy!
- Line the mold with a little butter and pour the mixture into it. Bake in the oven at 200ºC for 35 minutes. It should be well browned on top. Once out of the oven, let it cool. It can be eaten at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
