Yema Cake

Yema Cake

"Yema Cake is a Phillipino dessert cake that originated in the Philippines some twenty years ago. The Yema filling and frosting is a custard candy made of egg yolks - Yema meaning egg yolk. It is a delicious and creamy filling in a two layered cake."

Ingredients

For the cake:

50 grams butter

250 grams cream cheese

110 ml milk

1 vanilla pod (optional)

60 grams all-purpose flour

20 grams corn starch

¼ tsp salt

6 egg yolks

1 tsp calamansi (or lemon) juice

6 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

140 grams sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Yema filling or icing:

1 can condensed milk

6 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup butter

½ cup grated cheese

Directions

In a small pan over simmering water, melt together cream cheese, butter and milk. If you opt to use vanilla beans, scrape the beans from the vanilla pod and add it to the pan. Once melted, cool to room temp. Using a mixer, add in flour, corn starch, salt. Then add in egg yolks and lastly the lemon juice. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy (or frothy). Add in vanilla then gradually add sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold in the egg whites to the cream cheese mixture. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour batter into an 8-inch round cake pan covered with parchment paper. Bake the cake in a water bath for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done at 325 F.

To make the icing, open a can of condensed milk and pour it over a pan. Add in egg yolks and cook in low heat. Add in vanilla extract. Cook until it thickens enough to spread. Add in butter.

To assemble the Yema Cake, divide cake into two. Add the filling then cover it with the other half of the cake. Cover the rest of the cake with icing. Top with finely grated cheese.