Yesterday I discovered Mantecadas, having never heard of them before. I saw some photos on Pinterest and that piqued my interest. So I started to look for some recipes and read up a little on the origin. Mantencadas seem to come in various forms and are from Spain. The ones I saw were a Mexican variation, so that is what I am making today.
They are a bun, baked in a muffin tin. The batter is quite loose and has instant yeast in it, so that will make them rise well and will make the texture different from muffins or cupcakes.
The recipe is simple doesn’t require much mixing. In fact I think rather less mixing than I did would actually make the tops more rounded than mine. I was torn between vanilla and orange as the flavouring to use. But the orange extract that I have seemed very strong and I didn’t want to overpower the buns, so I opted for vanilla. As my first attempt I decided to make 6, but in the event I had a little batter left over so made a couple of mini loaf shaped ones too.
The results are a lovely, light, bun/cake that is springy to the touch and very tasty to eat.
Vanilla Mantecadas – Video
Ingredients:
- 125g plain flour
- 125g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs, large USA
- 120ml milk
- 120 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant/easy bake yeast
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
Method:
- Line a 6 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs and then add the sugar and whisk again until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the vanilla extract and milk and whisk to combine.
- Gradually add the oil and mix to combine.
- In a bowl mix the flour, yeast, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add those dry ingredients into the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Leave to rest for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/ 400 F.
- Pour the batter into the paper cases until it is just below the top of the cases.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
These were fun and easy to make. It occurred to me in the middle of making them that I might be able to get more rise if I used room temp eggs and slightly warmed milk. I also put chocolate chips in the middle and on top, but they mostly sank to the bottom, anyways. Still delicious.
HI Megan. I am glad you enjoyed the mantecadas. My eggs are never stored in the fridge, so they are always at room temperature when I bake.