Biscuit or corn cake from Guitiriz

How to prepare a Guitiriz corn cake. 

Galicia is an inexhaustible source of traditional recipes, one of those that last over time with almost no variations.

Having a large pantry, full of quality products, makes it easy to have such a wide cookbook with so much variety.

Today is the turn of a typical Galician dessert , which was still on “pending” and it was time to enjoy it at home.

On the blog you can find other well-known desserts from Galicia, such as delicious pancakes , fried milk , canes filled with cream, larpeira tart, bicas , tarts, almonds, etc. I could almost do a parallel blog with only Galician desserts …

What is I going to tell you, that as a good Galician, I am passionate about the cuisine of my land. On the blog you have good proof of this, with many recipes, salty and sweet, arrived from all corners of Galicia.

And it is that the gastronomy is so rich, that almost every area or region has its own well differentiated dishes. This delicious corn cake from is a great example.

A simple sweet, made with basic ingredients, and which is an emblem of Guitiriz, in the province of Lugo. A town known for being an obligatory passage between Lugo and A Coruña, but also for its famous corn cake.

Preparation of Guitiriz corn cake base

1. About 30 minutes before starting the recipe, we temper the cow butter, to make it more manageable during the making of the cake.
2. After time, we put it in a large bowl. Then add the sugar (in several batches) and mix well, until well integrated.
3. In a separate container, separate the yolks from the whites. We reserve the latter in the fridge. Add the yolks to the bowl, and continue mixing.
4. We continue with the jet of anise liqueur, and grate the skin of a lemon. We mix well again, so that everything is well integrated.
5. It is now the turn of the whites that we had reserved. We add a pinch of salt and assemble them “to the point of snow”, with the help of metal rods. If you are not practical in this task, use some electric rods.
6. We pass the whites to the bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients. We are mixing little by little, with enveloping movements, until we find a homogeneous cream.

Baking and final presentation of Guitiriz cake

1. At this point, we preheat the oven: about 10 minutes at 200ºC.
2. Little by little, we add the flours to the cream. First the corn one and then the wheat one, while mixing well. It is advisable to sift them at the time of adding them, this will result in a thinner dough without lumps. We add a pinch of salt to the dough, while mixing.
3. We spread the mold with butter. We pour the dough, and distribute it evenly through the mold.
4. We put in the oven, on a rack in the central position. We bake 35 minutes at 200ºC, in the “heat up and down” function. As each oven is a world, make sure that the cake does not burn. If you see that the oven is rushing, put an aluminum foil on the mold.
5. After time, we prick the cake and check that it is in its place (that the skewer comes out clean). We remove from the oven. We allow to temper about 10/15 minutes before unmolding.
6. We remove the cake from the mold, turn it over, and place on a platter or plate. Leaving the smooth part in sight. Before serving, sprinkle sugar on the surface. And we will have our delicious Guitiriz corn cake ready.

If you do not want to miss a detail on how to prepare this corn cake recipe , click on the photos in the step by step.

The Legend of this cake

• In addition, it also has a curious legend. In it it is related that a woman came to the village on a very cold night, looking for shelter and something to eat. They all denied him help, except for a widowed woman with children, who had a house on the outskirts.
• The visitor asked him to eat but they were very poor and they had nothing left that night. He insisted again, and told him to mix water with the ashes from the “lareira” and cook them. Miraculously the ashes turned into corn, resulting in a delicious cake.
• The next day, with the woman already far from the town, a great flood ensued that destroyed the entire town, except for the house where they took her in. The legend continues and it is said that it was the Virgin who appeared that night, to verify the humanity of its inhabitants. Saving only the family that helped her.

The history of the Guitiriz cake

• If we go to the earthly, there are more documented stories to locate the origin of this typical dessert. One of them is located at the beginning of the last century, when Guitiriz was a town that received many foreign visitors, on the occasion of medicinal waters and its Hotel-Spa.
• Older Fondas where less wealthy people moved away. In one of these, the Fonda Tomé, a cook found one fine day that she did not have enough wheat flour to prepare a cake. To get out of trouble, he decided to use corn flour to complete the quantities.
• Once cooked and presented on the table, the dessert received many praises, highlighting its flavor and smoothness. From that day on, they decided to use this recipe, which gradually became famous. With the passage of time, this corn cake became a symbol of the locality.
• Nowadays, in addition to finding it in the menu of numerous hospitality establishments, we can get hold of one in one of the Guitiriz bakeries. Perhaps the best known are “Panadería David” and “Panadería La Esquina”, but currently there are many more scattered throughout the town.
• Going back to the present day, to tell you that every year, on the last weekend of July, they celebrate the “Festa da Torta de Millo” in Guitiriz. A celebration to praise this dessert so well known in Galicia, and which I recommend you do not stop preparing it at home. You will see how it will conquer you