Traditional Tocino de Cielo

The homemade recipe for tocino de cielo, this traditional Spanish dessert with more than 500 years of history, has many fans and, besides being perfect to enjoy on Sundays with the family, is also an ideal recipe to use up egg yolks on the day you have a surplus*.

If you’ve tried it, you’ll know it’s characterized by its smooth and dense, similar to a flan, but more rich in egg yolks (I’m a fan of the eggy flavor—that’s why I love it so much!). I admit it’s intensely sweet, with a strong yolk flavor and a delicious contrast thanks to the caramel, and if you take a bite you’ll definitely want more. At home we always call it "tocinillo de cielo", What do you call it?

*If you have extra eggs at home, you can use the yolks to make egg flan, or use the yolks with this tocino de cielo recipe, and the whites to make meringue.

History and fun facts about tocino de cielo

This dessert originated in Andalusia, and its creation is closely linked to the history of the convents in this region. It actually began as a recipe for using up yolks. Here’s more:

Tocino de cielo originated in the 14th century, in the city of Jerez de la Frontera. Its creation is attributed to the nuns of the Convent of the Holy Spirit in Jerez. The story goes that the local wineries donated to the convents the egg whites that were used to clarify wine, leaving a large number of leftover yolks, and to avoid wasting these yolks, the nuns began to experiment with them, adding sugar and other simple ingredients available at the time, such as water and sugar, to create a dessert. Thus tocino de cielo was born, initially as a way to use a byproduct of the region’s wine production.

The dessert quickly gained popularity beyond the convent walls and began to be recognized throughout Spain. Its smooth texture and rich sweetness made it a favorite, especially during festivals and celebrations.

Although its name might suggest a relation to bacon or pork, "tocino de cielo" contains no meat ingredients. The name probably derives from its softly dense, rich texture, which might recall pork fat, and "heaven" for its celestially sweet flavor.

Tocino de cielo remains very popular in Andalusia and throughout Spain, and it’s not only a delight for the palate but also an important part of Spain’s gastronomic cultural heritage, keeping alive a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation.

And since you know we’re big fans of preserving traditional recipes, we’re bringing you the recipe so you can make it at home! (it’s on our table many Sundays!).

What the tocino de cielo recipe consists of

• Egg yolks: The base of tocino de cielo is egg yolks, used in large quantity.
• Sugar: Needed both for preparing the yolks and for the caramel.
• Water: To make the syrup that will be mixed with the yolks.
• Liquid caramel: To coat the mold and give the tocino de cielo its characteristic glossy, sweet top layer.

The recipe for making traditional tocino de cielo

Ingredients

• 12 yolks
• 500 g sugar
• 1 glass of water
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 170 ºC, placing a large container filled with water on the bottom to create a humid environment inside the oven.
2. Put a BRA Efficient 20 cm Shallow Casserole over the heat. Let's make the caramel: add 4 tablespoons of sugar to the Shallow Casserole and let it brown without stirring it too much (and always swirling the Shallow Casserole to distribute it; do not stir with a spatula or it will crystallize), until you get a deep golden caramel. Set aside.
3. While the caramel cools, in a Efficient saucepan place the water and the remaining sugar. Cook this mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes until a thick syrup forms. Let the syrup cool until it loses heat.
4. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks by hand. Add the syrup in a thin stream, little by little, while stirring constantly with the whisk. It’s important to do this quickly to avoid creating foam.
5. Once all the syrup is incorporated, strain the mixture to remove any egg threads.
6. Carefully, pour the mixture into the Shallow Casserole with the caramel.
7. Bake for about 15 or 16 minutes. Since the Efficient Shallow Casserole retains a lot of heat, the tocino de cielo will cook faster than in other non-stick Shallow Casseroles.
8. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let the tocino de cielo cool to room temperature. When it has tempered, refrigerate it in the fridge for at least 5 hours before unmolding. Finally, unmold carefully and it will be ready to enjoy!