Capirotada de Leche is a type of Mexican bread pudding often made during Lent that includes caramel, almonds and raisins.
Capirotada de Leche
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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Capirotada de Leche is my recipe of the day with my blogging group Baking Bloggers. We get together once per month on the second Monday to post recipes on a topic we vote on. Mexican baking recipes is our chosen topic for April.
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While I had imagined that I might bake up some Conchas (sweet pan dulce breads) I stumbled upon mentions for Capirotada recently.
As a blogger, I always adore coming across something I have never heard of before. So naturally, I have a rule that new foods get bucket listed and put on the menu. I have already eaten my weight in conchas most certainly. So that will have to wait a little bit.
Capirotada is a type of Mexican bread pudding commonly served during Lent. And while Lent has passed (obviously) and it comes a little late here, don’t worry. This will be special anytime.
Beautiful Caramel and Cinnamon Flavor
In fact, with the combination of flavors in it, it kind of reminds me of pumpkin pie for some reason. I mean, it doesn’t taste like pumpkin. But it does have some cinnamon from being cooked with a syrup similar to an atole.
Atole is a beverage made by steeping piloncillo (brown sugar cane) in water with cinnamon sticks, then thickening with masa harina and milk. The bread pudding does use the syrup part but diverges from there.
A note on the piloncillo- while you can try substituting brown sugar for this, be aware that it does have a distinct molasses character to it. So if you go that route you may want to amend by adding actual molasses. Not a whole lot- just a touch.
Bread Base for the Pudding
For the base of the bread pudding we will be using stale Bolillo rolls which are split and toasted. Those are then torn and layered in a baking dish with queso fresco, raisins, almonds, and a custard mix made with the cinnamon syrup, dulce de leche and milk.
From there it is baked until it is set. You can serve this warm with whipped cream, heavy cream drizzled over, or even with ice cream. Treat it as you might any kind of bread pudding.
Queso fresco Cheese
The cheese used for this is queso fresco, or the crumbling type. I don’t suggest you use the melting quesadilla type cheese or even the crumbly cotija cheese. Queso fresco does crumble like cotija, but the flavor is much milder and not tart. Fresco has a very mild flavor similar to ricotta cheese. You can easily find it at any Latino market. Also they have it at Kroger and Aldi, among others.
Not Just for Lent
And bread pudding can evoke feelings of autumn, and spices. That’s probably where most of the feeling of pumpkin pie is evoked. I definitely would recommend this as something for the Thanksgiving dessert table.
Or even at Christmas along with the traditional holiday tamales.
Baking Bloggers
Baking Bloggers (April 2021): Baking of Mexico
- Baked Pork Enchilada Salsa Verde Casserole from Sneha’s Recipe
- Bolillos from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Capirotada de Leche from Palatable Pastime
- Cheesy Corn Dip from Magical Ingredients
- Chicken Chili Tortilla Casserole from Food Lust People Love
- Creamy Caramel Flan from Making Miracles
- Mexican Chicken Bake (DASH Friendly) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Tacos De Jocoqui (Sour Cream Tacos) from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
- Telera Rolls from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Capirotada de Leche
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Capirotada de Leche
Capirotada de Leche
Equipment
- Oblong baking dish
Ingredients
Atole syrup:
- 3 4-inch cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup water
- 2.8-3 ounces piloncillo or brown sugar cane (2 small pieces)
de Leche sauce:
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
- 13.4 ounce can dulce de leche
Other:
- 4 stale Bolillo rolls (split and toasted)
- 10 ounces queso fresco cheese (crumbling type)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup golden raisins
- dash cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons diced cold butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Whipped cream, heavy cream, or ice cream (to serve with bread pudding)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Heat cinnamon sticks in the water and simmer for five to ten minutes.
- Discard cinnamon sticks; add piloncillo to water.
- Heat and stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from heat and cool completely. I put it in a glass measuring cup and stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes to hasten the process.
- Whisk the eggs, vanilla, evaporated milk and dulce de leche together in a bowl until smooth; stir in the chilled syrup and set aside.
- Spray an oblong baking dish with nonstick spray (or you could butter it).
- Layer half the bread in the bottom of the pan, tearing pieces to fit.
- Spoon some of the sauce over the bread, then sprinkle with half each of the cheese, almonds, and raisins.
- Repeat with the rest of the bread, cheese, almonds and raisins.
- Ladle the remaining sauce over all.
- Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and brown sugar, then dot with butter.
- Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until set, and a knife can be inserted without liquid clinging to it.
- Serve warm with whipped cream, cream drizzle, or ice cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is an amazing dessert. Thanks for sharing. I’m always up for a new bread pudding.
Bread pudding is a favorite way to use up leftover / older bread around here. This version sounds absolutely decadent!
My husband is the bread pudding lover at our house. He’d be all over this!
I have had far too many sweets recently. But I can’t wait to try this soon. Thanks for sharing.