Those Venezuelan readers out there know that a truly Venezuelan quesillo is the most requested food in any birthday party (after tequeños). It is one of the most famous Venezuelan desserts.
For the rest of the people that aren’t as familiar with this dessert, you need to know a couple of things about it:
Firstly: It is not exactly a pudding. Sorry if the title is kind of misleading. It looks similar to a pudding but the texture and the taste are different.
The main characteristic of a good quesillo is its holes. These tiny holes make it looks like a cheese. That’s why in Venezuela we call it quesillo; it looks like a small cheese.
The texture must be a little bit more firm than a classical flan. The flavor is soft vanilla with a hint of rum. I like a good quality rum to give it a nice aftertaste.
You can make a lot of variations of the classical quesillo: coconut quesillo, peach quesillo , pineapple quesillo, etc. Usually, you just need to replace the milk with any type of liquid (coconut milk, peach juice or pineapple juice).
I cannot talk about this recipe without a big smile and remember a lot of great moments with my family back in my country. I have to admit that Venezuelan recipes are my weak point. It’s incredibly bittersweet to write about the recipes that make me remember the people and the environment where I grew up.
Venezuela is such an amazing country that sadly is crossing a political and economic crisis that has made many of us — some sources says that more than 5 million — leave our country.
So every one of my Venezuelan recipes makes me feel connected to my roots no matter how far I am. In my house we eat arepas as breakfast, we eat Arroz con leche in Semana Santa and we eat tons of tequeños in our parties.
Food is a huge deal in my family; hence, cooking Venezuelan food is my way to keep my family and my country always present.
How to make quesillo?
The best of this traditional Venezuelan dessert is how easy it is. Just 6 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
Basically the only thing you need to do is to blend all the ingredients (eggs, condensed milk, milk, rum, and vanilla). Then make a caramel (sugar + water) and pour it into a flan pan to create a base.
Now, pour the mix and bake for 1 hour, in bain-marie, approximately.
I hope that you get inspired to try this lovely Venezuelan dessert for your next party or reunion.
See you in the next recipe!
Venezuelan Quesillo (pudding)
Ingredients
- 400 gr condensed milk 1 can
- 1 cup milk
- 5 eggs
- 2 tbsp rum I use Havanna Club
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF)
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and let it melt until is slightly brown. Stir until the caramel forms and immediately transfer it to a metal ring pan. Let it cool.
- Pour the condensed milk, the milk, the eggs, the rum and the vanilla in a blender and blend in low speed for 3-5 minutes (note 1)
- Pour the mix into the metal ring pan (note 2) and bake in Bain Marie (note 3) for 1hr 15 minutes.
- Wait until the quesillo is completely cold and unmold. (note 4)
Notes
- I like to blend in low speed to allow a little bit of air into the mix, this will help to form the holes that give the characteristic look to the quesillo.
- It is preferable that you use a pudding mold that has a lid. Also, it helps to get a nice ring form.
- Put the pudding mold inside a bigger round pan with 2 inches of water. This is called “bain Marie”. This way you prevent a hard custard on top of the quesillo.
- Wait at least 1 hr before unmold.
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.