Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, El Salvador boasts a variety of desserts that are simple but rich in their taste. From sponge cakes to creamy puddings, comforting is the key element of most of the country's sweet fare. They also use a lot of fruits that are transformed to sweet jams, jellies and spreads used a lot to craft their local desserts.
A local cake or “torta” from El Salvador, Maria Luisa is an orange cake that uses plenty of orange zest and orange marmalade in its making. This cake is also said to be popular in South America’s Colombia and is often compared to the Victorian Sponge cake, but unlike the British cake, orange marmalade is used instead of strawberry or blueberry jam. And sometimes the cake leans towards its Spanish influences and uses Dulce de leche, a kind of local in between the two cake loaves.
Everyone knows what empanadas are, they are these baked or fried pastry pockets with usually a savory filling. But Empanadas de Leche o Frijol is different from the traditional ones by being made with plantains. The dough is made with them and they don’t usually have that traditional pocket shape, and are often filled with sweet milk-based custard or fried beans. The plantains are mashed and stuffed with the sweet filling and then deep-fried and coated with sugar.
If you love pastries this dessert is another must-try, for Semita De Piña has a thick dough that encases a sweet filling of pineapple jam. Pineapple is the usual choice, although other fruit jams are also used. This baked goodie has two variations – the semita alta and the semita pacha. The former is a tall pastry dessert and the latter a flatter version, and an extra layer of the dough makes them different. Semita alta uses three layers of dough while the semita pacha uses only two layers. If you like less bready-texture then semita pacha is for you. Salvadorans love to eat this pineapple sweet recipe as a morning or afternoon snack.
A milky vanilla pudding, this dessert is a favorite of the locals for its simplicity and comforting flavors. The typical ingredients are milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cornstarch and margarine, which are mixed, cooked and refrigerated to set into a pudding. The cornstarch is an important ingredient in this pudding because that is what thickens the pudding into its thick form. It’s perfect after heavy meals when you want something sweet but barely have space for anything grandiose.
This is a corn-based humble drink that is said to be a cross between the Mexican Horchata and corn chowder. It features as a dessert because is is scoopable makes it perfect to be eaten with a spoon. This beverage/dessert has a lineage that traces itself back to the Mayans, who considered corn to be sacred. It’s no wonder that there are some superstitions around this dessert while it’s being cooked. It’s enjoyed alongside other corn-based solid foods like tamales.
Simply put, this is a rice pudding that is enjoyed widely across all of the South American countries and also the countries in Central America, including El Salvador. The rice is cooked in milk and sugar to which a cinnamon stick is added. Two kinds of other milk – evaporated and condensed are often added to the porridge to thicken and add more flavor with sometimes vanilla essence being added to the pudding. It’s comforting just exactly like kheer or payasam from our home country and is made during special events.
Another cake, that is popular in El Salvador is the Marquesote which is an airy sponge cake and is a great cake to eat at teatime. It is flavored with the usual vanilla and cinnamon that is assiduously used in many desserts of the country. The cake is spongy owing to the eggs and the careful preparation of the batter and often incorporates cocoa powder.
Who doesn’t know this cake is made with “tres” or three “leches” or milks? The soft, airy, sponge loaves of the cake are soaked with three kinds of milk in their different forms: regular milk, condensed and evaporated milk. It's a simple cake and despite that, it enjoys popularity in all Central and South American countries. It's often served with whipped cream on top and a dusting of cinnamon.