Torta Maria Luisa con poleada (Maria Luisa sweet bread with vanilla custard)

Growing up in a Latin household meant you were never deprived of pan dulce, or sweet bread. It’s enjoyed in the mornings or evenings with a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate, making it the perfect treat on chilly days. In El Salvador, el pan nunca puede faltar, which translates to “bread can never be missing,” so of course the first recipe I’m making from The SalviSoul Cookbook is María Luisa sweet bread!

What is María Luisa?

María Luisa is a sweet bread made with two cake layers, filled with vanilla custard in between, and topped with a sweet glaze. Each bite is soft and heavenly, especially when served freshly baked or slightly warm. You’ll taste airy cinnamon cake paired with a creamy, luscious filling, while the sugar topping melts in your mouth.

How to make pan María Luisa

There are three main components to making María Luisa. First, prepare the poleada so it has time to cool slightly while you make the cake batter. While the cake bakes, mix the glaze and sugar that will go on top. Here are some tips to help make the process smooth and enjoyable.

Prepare all the measurements for each ingredient in every part of the process. This is especially important for the custard (poleada), since it’s a time and temperature sensitive step. I like to use small containers to portion out the ingredients. Take out your butter and eggs about 30 minutes before you start so they can soften.

Sift the flour for the cake batter ahead of time so it’s ready to go. Below are the recipe and instructions from Karla’s SalviSoul Cookbook, along with a bit of my own experience as I made it. The optional ingredients are not part of the original SalviSoul recipe they’re additions I made, so I’ll leave it up to you to include them if you’d like.

Ingredients:

Custard/Poleada: 10 mins to make

• 3 cups milk

• 6 tbsp granulated sugar (Decrease this to 4 tbsp if you'd prefer the poleada less sweat)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

• 6 tbsp cornstarch

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (Optional)

Cake batter: 10 mins to prepare, 45-1 hour to bake depending on your oven.

• 16 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar (Decrease to one cup if you'd prefer the cake less sweat)

• 4 eggs, at room temperature

• 3 cups cake flour, sifted

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1-1/4 cups milk, plus more as needed

• 1 tsp crushed cinnamon stick or ground cinnamo

Toppings: Takes two minutes to prepare

Optional, if you don't want it to be too sweat cut the portions in half for a light drizzle topping.

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar - powder sugar

• 1/4 cups milk

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 drops of red food coloring

Instructions:

Custard/Poleada

1. Place a medium pot over low to medium heat. Add 2 1/2 cups of the milk, the sugar, the cinnamon stick, butter, and vanilla extract, and let it scald. This takes about 5–7 minutes depending on your stove, and you’ll know it’s scalding when small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. The mixture should reach about 180°F.

2. While the milk heats, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the cornstarch in a medium bowl, whisking until the cornstarch fully dissolves. Add the eggs and whisk again until well combined into a smooth paste.

3. Once the milk mixture in the pot has scalded, lower the heat to low. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the cornstarch-and-egg mixture to temper it. Then slowly whisk the tempered mixture back into the pot with the scalded milk. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from the heat once it reaches a creamy consistency—keep in mind it will continue to firm up as it cools. You don’t want it too solid or too runny.

4. After removing it from the heat, take out the cinnamon stick and place a piece of wax paper directly on top to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool while you prepare the cake batter.

Cake batter:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Keep in mind that this may vary depending on your oven. My oven is a 20‑year‑old antique and much smaller than standard ovens nowadays, so I set mine to 250°F; otherwise, the top of my cake would have browned before the inside was fully cooked.

2. Prepare your baking dish by coating it with nonstick cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper. This recipe is perfect for a 13-by-9-inch pan, but being the rebel that I am I opted for a heart‑shaped pan. Be a rebel, ha!

3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. As you add each of the following ingredients, scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.

5. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed until fully incorporated. Add the dry mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed. I recommend folding the flour in first to prevent it from flying everywhere trust me, it’s not fun. Once it’s mostly incorporated, continue mixing on medium speed.

6. Lastly, add the milk and cinnamon and mix on medium speed until the batter resembles pancake batter.

Assembly to bake:

You have two options to assemble for baking:

• Bake the cake first and then cut in half, then layer it with the custard/poleada in the middle

• OR bake it together. This means you will place half of the cake batter, then the custard/poleada and then the second half of the cake batter. The taste will be the same for both techniques!

• Bake until the outside is golden brown and in the inside is fully baked, for me that was about 45mins to an hour. I opted for the second assembly option but my poleada sunk to the bottom because i left it too thick.

• Take it out of the oven and let it rest for about 15-30 mins.

Glaze & Pink Sugar:

1. Mix the 1/4 cup of milk with the conffectioners sugar. Whisk until it's fully combined and becomes a thick glaze.

2. in a seperate contorainer mix the sugar and the food coloring. Mix it with a fork until the sugar has taken on the pink color!

3. Add the glaze to the top of the cooled cake and spread it out evenly to your desire.

4. Sprinkle the sugar on top!

This is by far the best torta de Maria Luisa that i've had, it was soft and full of flavor. If you make it be sure to tag @FLOURISHWITHG on social media. As always, i hope that it fills your heart and tummy with love.