Preparation Time
60
Note
Cuban panetela is a dessert that brings back memories of childhood for all of us—those early forays into the kitchen with grandma, the eagerness to eat the warm crumbs, and the occasional disappointment when it was left on the heat for too long. Here we present a very common recipe in Cuba. It is usually made in a pressure cooker, placing a paper at the bottom to prevent the batter from sticking and burning too much. The secret of this batter lies not in the ingredients, which are quite few, but in the way they are combined.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of wheat flour
- 2 tazas de white sugar
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 4 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder or baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
It is essential for the eggs to be at room temperature. Separate the egg whites and yolks. We recommend doing this one by one to prevent a bad egg from contaminating the rest.
Mix the egg yolks with half of the sugar, preferably using an electric whisk. Beat for 1 minute, then add the milk and continue mixing at high speed for at least 3 minutes.
Mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and baking powder. Sift everything over the beaten egg yolks to ensure the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
You can mix at low speed for 2 minutes with electric whisks until a homogeneous mixture is achieved, or incorporate the flour using folding motions. Once everything is well combined, set it aside.
Beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and the vanilla. Continue beating until well combined.
Integrate both mixtures with a spatula, using gentle folding motions until everything is well combined. At this stage, do not use electric whisks.
Grease the mold and dust it with a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes with heat from above and below. Avoid opening the oven as it may interrupt the cooking process and affect the rising of the dough. The baking time will depend on the size of the mold used, the amount of dough, and the characteristics of each oven.
If you decide to make the cake in a pressure cooker, remember to place a preferably greased paper at the bottom. Cover the pot, but do not apply pressure. Cook the cake on low heat for approximately 40 minutes.
To check if the cake is ready, perform the classic toothpick test. Insert it into the center, and if it comes out clean, it's done. If not, continue baking.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then take it out and finish cooling preferably on a rack so that it doesn't retain moisture.
If you cooked your panetela in the pressure cooker, open the cooker and let the batter cool. Do not remove the panetela from the cooker when it's freshly made, as it risks breaking apart.
We hope you enjoy this recipe. Bon appétit!
Servings
8