Yema Cake Recipe (Baked and No-Bake)
This soft yema cake either baked or steamed with overflowing yema and grated cheese toppings is simply delicious; great as a snack or dessert.
Equipment
- Steamer or oven
- Mixing bowls
- Llanera or molds
- Rubber spatula
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Cake Batter:
- 4 medium egg yolks
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup oil or melted butter
- 1 and ¼ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sugar
Meringue:
- 8 medium egg whites
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
Yema Filling:
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 4 medium egg yolks
- 1 can (397g) condensed milk
- 1 can (160g) all-purpose cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolve in ¼ water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- 4 tablespoons (56.7g) butter
Topping:
- 1-2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, milk and oil. Mix to combine. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt by placing a sieve over the bowl. Add sugar and mix until well combined. Set aside.
- To prepare the meringue: In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy then add cream of tartar. Beat until soft peak forms. Slowly add the sugar as you beat it. Beat until it becomes glossy and stiff peak (Stiff peak is when it doesn’t fall even when you invert your bowl).
- Slowly fold the meringue into the cake batter in three to four batches. Use the cut and fold technique to combine the batter. Don’t stir and over mix the batter, just fold to retain the air bubbles of the meringue.
- Greased your llaneras with butter, margarine or oil. Fill about ¾ of batter into the molds. The batter will rise while cooking.
- If steaming. Preheat the water on your steamer. You can cover each llanera with aluminum foil or place a cloth into the lid of your steamer to prevent water from dripping into the batter. Once your steamer is boiling. Place the molds into the steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes.Note: Do not open the lid of the steamer, if it has not reach the required steaming time. The steam heat should be stable for your cake to be fluffy for at least 20-25 minutes. The steam heat will reset to normal once you remove the lid. It will make your cake hard and soggy as a result.
- After the 20 minutes, do a toothpick test by inserting it in the center part. It’s already cooked if it comes out clean. Let them sit in the steamer with lid open for 10 minutes to avoid shrinking. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- If baking. Preheat oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F. Place llanera into the oven and bake for around 20-25 minutes. Do the toothpick test after the required time to test the doneness of the cake. Note: Let it sit in the oven for around 10 minutes before taking it out of the oven. After taking it out, immediately transfer the yema from molds into the cooling rack.
- To prepare the yema filling. Combine evaporated milk, egg yolks, condensed milk and all-purpose cream in a pan. Mix well to combine. Turn on the heat to low. Cook until all is well blended. Slowly add cornstarch diluted in water into the mixture. Stir constantly to prevent from burning and forming lumps. When it starts to thicken, add vanilla essence or extract. When reaching the desired consistency, add the butter and turn off the heat. The filling will get thicker as it cools down. Set aside and let it cool a bit.
- To assemble the yema cake. Remove yema cake from molder by running a knife on the edge and flip it upside down. Pour your yema filling while still warm on top to cover the cake. Sprinkle with grated cheese evenly on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
