Cake it, Don't Fake It: How to Make Marquesote

When I say the word "marquesote", what pops up in your mind?

Maybe you think of quasi-royalty, like a marquise, or it calls to mind matinees, like marquee. All of these associations are wrong.

Because what marquesote should conjure up in your mind is this: Mexican cake bread.

What is this marquesote-Mexican-cake-bread-thing, exactly? It's an interesting little morning bread, very light and not too sweet, somewhat dry, but perfect with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and a strong coffee. 

I came across the term "marquesote" while poring over New Mexico literature in the history museum. Turns out, because of the proximity to (old) Mexico, you'll see marquesote every now and again. In searching for recipes I found a number of them, so it was difficult to discern which was "authentic"--with or without yeast? With cake flour, all purpose flour, or, like the one I settled on, made with cornstarch? 

This version, which I adapted from a version on What to Cook Today?, makes a weird little cake. It's light as air, and highly delicious, but it goes stale so, so fast. This is not such a terrible thing if you're smart about it: enjoy it plain, or with confectioners' sugar or a smear of sweet butter, OR BOTH, right after you make it, but if it's more than a few hours old, resign yourself: you're going to have to enjoy it with ice cream, whipped cream, or some other tasty thing that will add moisture. Poor you. 

As a bonus, if it's up your alley, as far as my googling expertise goes, the fact that this recipe employs cornstarch instead of flour makes it gluten-free.

I tend to think it would taste great as a base for strawberry shortcake: more interesting than mere sponge cake, and perfect for soaking up all the tasty flavors. 

Give it a try and see which way you like it best. It's easy to make, and smells like heaven whilst it bakes. 

Marquesote

Adapted from What to Cook Today? - Makes 1 cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 cups cornstarch
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and flour a loaf pan or 9-inch cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold in the yolks one at a time, beating on low speed.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder and starch. Mix thoroughly. Fold this mixture gently into the eggs and add the melted and cooled butter and vanilla extract. Mix just until combined.


4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until it is golden brown. It may begin to slightly shrink from the sides of the pan.

5. Immediately after removing from the oven, run a sharp knife along the perimeter of the pan to loosen the sides. Let cool for about 15 minutes, then invert the pan onto a serving platter. I served my cake upside-down like this, dusted with confectioners' sugar. Actually, more than dusted. What's the word for "dump a whole ton of sugar on top, but delicately so it looks like snow"?

Enjoy!

Sweet Holiday: Cake Gumshoe Stephanie Shares Sweet Finds from Central Highland, Mexico

CakeSpy Note: If we took a holiday, it would be--it would be so nice! And recently, Cake Gumshoe Stephanie escaped chilly Seattle for sunny Mexico--and had some super sweet eating experiences! So what could you expect if you were to visit yourself? Read on, and dream just a little bit:

A couple of cold Seattle residents escaped the Seattle November snow storm by heading to the Central Highlands of Mexico. Warm days, cool nights, colonial architecture, and great food.

The bakeries in town open onto the narrow sidewalks and present racks of goods of sweet doughs, sugared twists, laminated pastries, shortbread cookies, and sweet and savory empanadas.

Ice cream abounds in flavors from tequila to guanabana, pinon, and sweet corn. Paletes (popsicles) range from fresh strawberry to vanilla with dried fruits and nuts to mango chili.

Fried dough, candied yams and sugared squash are sold from street carts and hand carried baskets.

And then there are the traditional sweets of Morelia (pictured left) - crystalized fruits, fruit leathers, cajeta - goat cheese caramel, tamarind with chili (or not), coconut haystacks, coconut stuffed candied limes, candied flower blooms - rose and jamaica (hibiscus), and sweet bars of amaranth with fruits and nuts.

Dessert menus feature variations on flan and cheesecake (limon cheesecake, pictured below), and in new kitchens, they riff on traditional favorites, like chongos zamoranos, a sweet milk/honey/cinnamon dessert (pictured below cheesecake).

Find out more about the Central Highlands of Mexico here!

South of the Border: A Sweet Suite of Treats from Mexico

CakeSpy Note: We just spent a long weekend celebrating the USA; now that it's over, why not celebrate some of the sweet treats from our neighbor to the south, Mexico? Here's a profile on some sweet treats which are popular in Guadalajara, Mexico, which is where Cake Gumshoe Aislinn lives. Here's her report:

So, initially I went scouting for the prettiest pan dulces I could find, but of course I couldn't find "biscocho."  On an interesting note, though, my husband, who is Mexican by origin, says that (at least in our region in Mexico) "biscocho" is also a slang word for a cute girl.

Nonetheless, I found several other kinds of cookies and a pan dulce that are very common here in Mexico.  I wish I could send you many more, because there are many delicious options for baked goods here, but it's a start!

First, we've got a "concha" (shell), named for the pattern of the sugar topping.  Conchas come in white, brown, pink, and yellow.  They are supposed to be different flavors, but the only difference is that the brown topping sometimes tastes a teeny bit like cinnamon (although my husband swears the brown ones taste better than the other colors and therefore will ONLY eat the brown ones).  The bread itself is fluffy and voluminous, but with a different texture than, say, a croissant.  Pan dulce tends to be denser and no where near as sweet as European or American baked goods.  They are meant to last several days and to be eaten with coffee or Mexican hot chocolate so that the bread softens up a little in the mouth.

Note: authentic Mexican hot chocolate does NOT have chili in it, and if you ask for chocolate / chili combination, Mexicans look at you like you're speaking an alien language.

Next up is a "budin" (pudding), which comes in the shape of a pig.  The budin usually comes in the shape of a pig and is sometimes slathered with a thin layer of chocolate on top.  The budhin is very dry and has a taste and texture reminiscent of bread.  I am sure these have several different names in different regions, because when one looks for a "budin" recipe, most of the results are pudding recipes.

The third cookie (pictured top) is actually called a cookie ("galleta").  I happened to pick the colored sprinkle cookie ("galleta con grangea") because it makes me happy, but the cookie cookie also comes in chocolate or vanilla and is sometimes topped with pecans ("nuez").  The cookie taste like a crumbly shortbread cookie, but without the butter flavor.

The last one is a "vidrio" (glass pane).  The vidrio is another cookie I imagine has several different names.  The vidrio also comes in several different forms or shapes: round multicolored, square multicolored, or triangle in chocolate and vanilla.  The cookie itself is much sweeter than the others and has almost a sand-like texture as it falls apart in your mouth.

Note: Upon further reflection, I also retract my earlier statement.  If I had to guess from the taste and texture, I'd say most to all of the cookies that are made with fat are probably made with vegetable shortening.

Want to learn more about Mexican sweets? You'll find some information in this history of Tex Mex / Mexican food, recipe links and info here, and in case you were wondering, yes, there was a Mexican Pastry War.