Salvadoran Breakfast Cake (a.k.a. Quesadillas)
Breakfast is served!
What you'll need: butter (lots of it), rice flour, baking powder, Parmesan, egg, sour cream, sugar and sesame seeds.
These light, airy cakes get their lift from good old-fashioned baking powder.
Rice flour, baking powder and salt get whisked together.
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.
The batter starts off as a cloud of butter, sugar and egg.
Make sure to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go!
Another egg...
Then, a full cup of sour cream goes in.
The "wow" ingredient here is the the cheese (we used Parmesan) -- it really lifts the cakes to a whole other level.
The dry ingredients go in last.
Do you see the texture of this batter? Gorgeous.
The cakes are topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds -- a nice, subtle touch.
We loved the way the edges browned, while the centers stayed snowy.
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A&M say: 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
Sasha (Global Table Adventure) says: 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. - Sasha@GlobalTableAdventure
Makes 18
- 1 cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream*
- 1/2 cup grated hard cheese, such as cojita or parmesan*
- sesame seeds, to taste
- 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.
- Your Best Gluten-Free Baked Good Contest Winner!







22 days ago Mlouise
My husband loves these...has anyone tried them with regular flour with the idea that they might be a little less fragile?
23 days ago Mlouise
Forgot to add that I used a European style sour cream which is much tighter and heavier than the usual.
23 days ago Mlouise
Rich but rather wonderful and satisfying. Probably not as bad for me as some of my morning favorites. Could the difference in results be from the cheese used. I threw in some Parmesan that had been grated and sitting in the frig for a few days so it may have been a little drier.
about 1 month ago Daisy M Flores
I always wanted to learn to do the Salvadoran quesadillas. .. Thank You! :)
5 months ago Sasha (Global Table Adventure)
I think it really depends what temperature you eat it at. If you eat it warm out of the oven it will be really greasy. It is definitely very rich.
It's important to note that other cultures enjoy different ratios of fat in their food. I'm constantly amazed by how much red palm oil goes into West African food, for example. Personally, I love learning these things. It's so fun to taste and see where we're similar and where we're different.
5 months ago jodyrah
. 1c butter, sour cream, cheese...the fat ratio is too high. In addion, very little flavoring. Basically sugar and fat.
5 months ago AEC
Here's the strange thing. I made these 3 times. As you can tell from my earlier post, they were delicious and a huge hit with all who tried them... the first two times, that is. When I made them the third time I ran into the issue mentioned below with excess butter to the point where the cakes were inedible. Couldn't figure out what had happened.
5 months ago jodyrah
My baking podwer is not out of date. In any event, it has nothing to do with a fundamentally flawed recipe ( ingredient proportions ). The amount of butter left my fingers looking like they were dipped in butter. The flavor was bla. FWIW, I have advanced cooking and baking skills. I made these against my better judgement due to the reviews.
5 months ago jodyrah
So, it looks as if I am the only one that didn't like these. I dislike making negative posts, but perhaps this will give someone else pause. They were extemely greasy and not
particularly flavorful.
5 months ago gluttonforlife
I love a dissenting voice; FINALLY this makes me want to try these for myself!
5 months ago SKK
This is surprising. I have had very good luck with these each time I make them. Is it possible you made a mistake in the recipe, or perhaps your baking powder was old?
5 months ago zoemetrouk
I am not sure what happened to your cakes but we love these. They are the perfect little bites with a turbo-charged morning coffee. Also a great idea for kids before the school run--tastes great with any kind of berries.
5 months ago zoemetrouk
I am not sure what happened to your cakes but we love these. They are the perfect little bites with a turbo-charged morning coffee. Also a great idea for kids before the school run--tastes great with any kind of berries.
5 months ago zoemetrouk
I am not sure what happened to your cakes but we love these. They are the perfect little bites with a turbo-charged morning coffee. Also a great idea for kids before the school run--tastes great with any kind of berries.
5 months ago jodyrah
So, it looks as if I am the only one that didn't like these. I dislike making negative posts, but perhaps this will give someone else pause. They were extemely greasy and not
particularly flavorful.
6 months ago Vic Lagina
Just made this for our pre-hurricane party breakfast. They are absolutely fabulous. I sprinkled them with black sesame seeds rather than white. Same taste but a little more of a dramatic look.
9 months ago Tish S.
Just found Food 52 today and made these tonight for a breakfast group tomorrow. Try these! They were so easy and absolutely delicious! We did not wait the recommended 10 minutes to cool off and they were still fantastic. Couldn't find cojita so substituted fontina cheese.
9 months ago Radster
These are dead easy and delicious. I subbed in 2/3 C cane sugar instead of the white and used brown rice flour and they turned out perfect. Tangy and buttery awesomeness.
2 months ago cherylynne1
I wondered if brown rice flour would work as well.
12 months ago Kitchen Butterfly
I made this for friends who weren't keen on the (parmesan) cheese, so I substituted freshly ground almonds and they still came out wonderful. I love the sweet-salty thing but these worked out perfectly too! Just to share.
12 months ago Crispini
Oooooh, sumptuous little pillows of deliciousness. I made half in the regular size muffin cups and half in mini size. The small size is probably best because they're so rich. But then, of course it's tempting to have two instead of just one. Hmmmmmm. And I love the crisp little rim where they brown just a bit. Thanks for posting this!
12 months ago Crispini
Whoops! Clicked the button too many times. Sorry about that!
12 months ago Crispini
Oooooh, sumptuous little pillows of deliciousness. I made half in the regular size muffin cups and half in mini size. The small size is probably best because they're so rich. But then, of course it's tempting to have two instead of just one. Hmmmmmm. And I love the crisp little rim where they brown just a bit. Thanks for posting this!
about 1 year ago rlouisecull
I made these this morning for my gluten-free mom and sisters as a quick breakfast before they got on the road to drive home. Even my long suffering, gluten-full dad liked them! I agree with other reviewers that they're way, way buttery, but the gluten free crowd this morning told me that this quantity of butter is par for the course on most tasty gluten free baked goods... Thanks for a great, quick, gluten free option!
over 1 year ago sexyLAMBCHOPx
I just popped these out of the pan. So rich & moist. I used a mini muffin pan and it worked out great; exactly enough batter do make 24 mini muffins. I ate three and putting away the rest. : ) Lots of butter, and I was thinking maybe next time to cut back a tad to suit my own palate. I can't wait to eat another one tomorrow and see how they taste having had a chance to firm up and note the make-ahead taste. Easy, inexpensive and incredibly good. I used parmesean but will try cojita next time. May also play around with poppy seeds and nuts on top for fun. Perfect for a breakfast/brunch, potluck, snack, and bridal/baby shower event.
over 1 year ago midnitechef
I also commented that there was alot of butter in these. Next time (with less butter + plain yogurt?) I think lemon poppy seed would be awesome!
over 1 year ago sexyLAMBCHOPx
Hmm, maybe 1/2 less butter and 1/2 cup more sour cream or even creme fraiche. So glad I made these though. I know I will make often at the above events that's for sure. The no gluten is great as many of my friends kids cant have it. My diabetic Aunt LOVES sweets and next time I see her I could try to make with Spenda.
about 1 year ago Kitchen Butterfly
I made a lemon and poppy seed version - AWESOME! The fragrance of the lemon zest carried through, perfuming and flavouring the delicate, buttery cake. I reduced the butter to 3/4 cups and increased the sour cream. Also dialled back the sugar to 3/4 cup. Wonderful. I preferred them on the day though....
over 1 year ago gingerroot
These are amazing. I made them for breakfast on the morning of my MiL's birthday - she is gluten intolerant and these were perfect. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
over 1 year ago AEC
UNBELIEVABLY good! Made these for our block party potluck breakfast, and they were gone in minutes. Everyone raved. Will have to make again soon because I only got one.