Grandma´s quesada pasiega

Dessert
Written By Álvaro Culebra

A northern Spanish classic: soft, scented with lemon and cinnamon, this quesada is baked nostalgia in every bite. Golden, tender, and filled with the comforting aroma of my grandmothers’ kitchens.

If there’s one dessert no one in the family can resist, it’s Grandma Marisa’s quesada. Its delicate aroma and exquisite flavor take us straight back to childhood, where the fridge door became a meeting point, sneaking in for “just one more” bite of heaven.

📸 Grandma Marisa and little Álvarito making quesada (2005)

I still remember the countless times we made it together. Her little glass cups for measuring everything. The way she taught us to zest a lemon, just enough to unlock that unmistakable fragrance. And her golden rule: always stir counterclockwise, with “salero,” as she called it, meaning joy, flair, and full-hearted energy.

We’ve decided to capture this memory forever, sharing how a simple recipe can carry stories, flavor, and love, even across oceans.

📝 Ingredients

  • 125 g Greek yogurt (natural, unsweetened) at room temperature

  • 150 g sugar

  • 2 eggs (approx. 120 g) at room temperature

  • 150 g all-purpose flour

  • 1 g salt (1 tsp)

  • 500 ml whole milk at room temperature

  • 50 g butter, at room temperature

  • 2 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp)

  • Zest of 1 large lemon

  • Extra: 2 tsp sugar + cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Featured

🥣 Key Tools

  • 22 cm (9 inch) Round baking pan / springform pan

🧁 Using a Different Baking Pan Size?

📏 Adjust the batter quantity based on your pan to keep the cake tall, evenly baked, and delicious:

  • 🟢 16 cm (6.3 in) pan → use ½ recipe

  • 🟠 22 cm (8.7 in) pan → standard recipe

  • 🔴 28 cm (11 in) pan → use 1½ recipe

⚖️ These proportions help avoid overflow or flat cakes. When using smaller or taller pans, lower the baking temperature slightly and always do the toothpick test before removing from the oven. Perfect baking is all about balance!

🍳 Instructions

1. Mix the base

  • In a bowl, combine the yogurt, eggs, sugar, and the butter (all at room temperature).

  • Whisk well with a hand whisk until smooth and homogeneous.

2. Add milk and flour

  • Slowly pour in the milk while continuing to whisk.

  • Sift in the flour gradually and mix until no lumps remain.

  • Stir in the lemon zest.

3. Bake

  • Grease and flour the baking Pan. Pour in the batter.

  • Sprinkle the surface with ground cinnamon and 2 tsp of sugar.

  • Bake at 170°C for about 40 minutes ±

  • The quesada is ready when a knife inserted in the center comes out wet and clean.

🌿 Kuisit Tip

Don't worry if your quesada puffs up and then deflates, that's its natural soul! Let it cool and enjoy warm or chilled. It’s especially delicious the next day with good cup of coffe

Álvaro Culebra
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