🍮 Tocino de Cielo
Tocino de cielo, literally bacon from heaven, is a Spanish dessert of egg yolks and sugar syrup baked or steamed over a layer of caramel. It is denser and richer than flan, with a smooth, silky texture and a deep golden colour. It is turned out cold, glossy with caramel, and served in small squares.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 egg yolks
- 250 g sugar for the syrup
- 125 ml water
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 100 g sugar for the caramel
Method
- Melt 100 g sugar in a pan to a golden caramel and pour it into a small mould.
- Boil 250 g sugar with the water and lemon peel for 5 minutes to a light syrup; cool slightly and remove the peel.
- Whisk the yolks gently and slowly pour in the syrup, stirring without making foam.
- Strain into the mould, cover with foil and bake in a water bath at 170 °C for 30–35 minutes until set.
- Chill completely, then turn out and cut into small squares.
How to make it lighter
- Cut it into small squares; it is very rich, so a little goes a long way.
- Serve with fresh berries or orange slices to make the portion feel bigger.
- Make the caramel layer thin to save some sugar.
History
The dessert is usually traced to Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia; the story goes that nuns made it from egg yolks given to them by sherry makers, who used the whites to clarify their wine. The name refers to its rich texture; it contains no pork.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →