Yema Cake

I love Yema and often enjoy them since I was a kid. They’re a classic Filipino candy made from a mixture of milk and egg yolks cooked over low heat until thickened. The sweet concoction is then shaped in pyramids or balls and coated in granulated sugar or dipped in caramel syrup for a crisp, golden shell.

Yema Cake made of fluffy sponge or chiffon cake with Yema frosting. Sinfully delicious, this Filipino cake is perfect as a dessert or anytime snack treat.

Victoria Latido recently posted her yummy Easy Yema Spread recipe, and people are asking for the Yema Cake she promised, so here it is.

What is Yema?

Yema has been a Philippine delicacy for centuries, brought on by the Spanish during the colonial period. The word Yema, in fact, means egg yolk in Spanish.

But although the candy has been around for years, Yema Cake is somewhat of a new invention that has recently gained popularity. It’s a prime example of the Filipino’s creative ability to adapt ideas and make it entirely our own.

What is a Yema Cake?

The Yema cake has three components which all work together into a scrumptious, indulgent baked treat.

Sponge Cake-the procedure is very similar to the one I used for making the Pianono, but I added butter for the extra buttery goodness. Since the yema spread is very rich and sweet, I also opted to make a lesser sweet sponge cake.
Yema Frosting- I used Lalaine’s Yema Spread recipe and just cooked it a little longer to make it thicker and hold its form better for frosting and piping.
Grated Cheese-I decorated the walls of the cake with almond slivers to pretty it up, but this is entirely optional. The grated cheese topping, however, is a must as it adds another layer of flavor and the saltiness of cheese provides the perfect contrast to the sweetness of the Yema frosting.
slice of yema cake on a serving plate

Give this Yema Cake a try; with delicious layers of soft, fluffy sponge cake, creamy golden yema, and salty grated cheese, it’s pure indulgence! It’s the perfect dessert for special occasions but easy enough to make for everyday sweet cravings.

YEMA CAKE RECIPE

CAKE BATTER

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ cup sugar
4 egg yolks
¼ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp orange powder (dissolve in 1 cup water)
1 tsp vanilla
Grated Cheese (for topping)

MERINGUE

4 egg whites
½ cup sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar

YEMA GLAZE

3 egg yolks
1 big can (300ml) condensed milk
1 big can (370ml) evaporated milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp cornstarch

CAKE BATTER PROCEDURE

In a bowl combine all dry ingredients flour, sugar and baking powder. Mix well
In another bowl combine all wet ingredients egg yolks, milk, orange juice, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix well
Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Mix well until there’s no lumps left. Set aside

MERINGUE PROCEDURE

In a bowl combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar over high speed.
Gradually add sugar when it starts to become foamy.
Beat meringue over high speed until soft peak forms or until the meringue holds even when you turn the bowl upside down.
Fold in meringue into the batter in 3-4 batches so it won’t be hard to fold.
Be careful not to pop the meringue when folding so it won’t deflate our cake and it will still be light and fluffy. Don’t overmix.
Grease bottom of the pan with cooking oil. Don’t grease the sides so the cake has something to hold as it rises.
Transfer cake batter into a greased pan. Put pan into the steamer.
Put steamer over boiling water. Cover steamer with lid wrap in cheese cloth or any cotton cloth to avoid water dripping to the cake or you can also use aluminum foil to cover the cake pan.
Steam for 20 minutes over low medium heat or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
After 20 minutes turn off the heat and leave it for 10 minutes before taking off the lid to avoid cake from shrinking.
Let it cool before unmolding from the pan.

YEMA GLAZE PROCEDURE

In a pan combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix mixture until well combined.
Then turn on the stove and cook over low medium heat.
Add cornstarch. Keep stirring until the yema glaze is thick and spreadable.
Strain the mixture to get rid of lumps.

YEMA CAKE ASSEMBLING

Once the cake cool unmold it from the pan into a plate.
Pour yema glaze on top of cake and spread it from the sides.
Generously grate cheese on top of yema cake.
Enjoy!

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