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This jericalla recipe is for an easy to make tasty Mexican dessert from Guadalajara. Made with milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar, it is a delicious cross between flan and creme brulee.
What is Jericalla?
Jericalla is a traditional dessert from Guadalajara, Mexico. It is a cross between flan and crème brûlée. A relative of flan, it has a similar custard-like texture. While the top is burned to a golden color like creme brulee, it doesn’t have sugar on it.
This dessert is a cross between the New and Old Worlds. It mixes European and Mexican ingredients like milk, sugar, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla.
Difference Between Jericalla and Flan
Jericalla is similar to flan with a Jalisco twist. Unlike flan, jericalla does not have caramel on the top or bottom. Flan, also known as crème caramel, are traditionally baked in ramekins lined with caramel sauce.
Jericalla on the other hand are baked in ramekins which are placed in a bain marie or water bath. They are simply cooked until they set, with no caramel sauce.
Difference Between Jericalla and Creme Brulee
While similar, crème brûlée and jericalla differ on the finish. Creme brulee are typically caramelized or have a burnt top whereas jericallas do not.
Depending on where you have crème brûlée, you’ll often find it topped with fruits or mint sprigs. Traditionally, jericalla does not have any toppings and are served as is.
Discovering Jericalla in Guadalajara, Mexico
We spent 2.5 months discovering the local specialties in Guadalajara, and quickly fell in love with jericalla. This traditional dessert is the most famous dessert of the city and the state of Jalisco.
We ate jericalla everywhere and couldn’t get enough of it. From markets, bakeries and restaurants, we savored the flavors of this Jalisco food. Once we learned how easy it was to make, we excitedly made jericalla one Saturday afternoon.
With only 5 ingredients, take your taste buds on a Mexican adventure with this simple jericalla recipe.
Jericalla History – From Humble Beginnings to International Fame
There are many stories about the origins of this legendary dessert. The most popular is about Spanish nun who worked in an orphanage in Guadalajara. As the story goes, the children she looked after suffered from malnutrition.
To increase the children’s protein and calcium intake, the nun blended milk eggs and sugar to form a custard.
Unfortunately, she forgot the custard in the oven and burned the top. Nonetheless, she went ahead and served it to the children who really liked it. And, it went on to become popular throughout.
Jericalla is said to be named after Jérica, the region in Spain where the nun came from.
How To Make Jericalla At Home
This Guadalajara favorite dessert is easy to make at home. The simple preparation and delicious flavors have made it one of Mexico’s most recognized desserts.
You need only a few ingredients for this jericalla recipe, though the better the quality, the better the flavors.
Jericalla Recipe Shopping List
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Pure vanilla extract (Mexican vanilla preferred)
- Eggs
Must Have Jericalla Cooking Tools
- Ramekins – You’ll need durable dishes like ramekins to cook the jericalla in the oven. The biggest advantages of ramekins are that they are affordable, can be baked, microwaved, frozen and put in the dishwasher without worry. And, they also make an elegant serving dish.
- Bain Marie Technique – To cook the jericalla in the oven, you’ll use the bain marie technique. This simply involves cooking the ramekins inside of a baking dish filled halfway with hot water.
Tasty Tips To Make Jericalla at Home
Use High Quality Ingredients
Above all, for the best flavors, we recommend using high quality base products. Use real vanilla, Mexican preferred, over vanilla substitute.
As opposed to cinnamon powder, cinnamon sticks are preferred for their subtle, sweet and spicy flavors.
Adjust Jericalla Recipe To Your Liking
After eating jericalla at several bakeries, markets and restaurants in Guadalajara, we noticed differences in flavors. Some had more vanilla while others more cinnamon. Depending on your tastes, feel free to adjust the jericalla recipe.
Skim or Low Fat Milk?
If you don’t have whole milk, you can substitute using 2% milk or half-and-half. Skim milk is not generally recommended. For the best results use whole milk.
Jericalla Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- â…“ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Place milk, sugar and cinnamon, vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat
- Stir constantly for about 20 minutes. After everything has mixed well, turn off the heat and let it cool slightly for about 10 minutes. The liquid should be smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until blended.Â
- Then add eggs to the milk mixture mixture, stirring constantly
- Using a sieve or fork and remove the cinnamon pieces
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180C)
- Pour mixture equally among 6 ramekin pots or heat-resistant dessert dishes
- Place ramekin pots in a deep pyrex dish and add boiling water into the pyrex dish, taking care not to add water to ramekin pots.
- Fill the pyrex dish about halfway of the pots or about 1 inch (bain marie)
- Bake in oven for 35 minutes
- To check if it is ready, place a toothpick in the center of one of the ramekin pots. If it comes out clean, the jericalla is ready.
- Optional. To give the jericalla a burned effect, brown the ramekin pots under broiler for an extra 4 to 6 minutes or until tops are goldenÂ
Notes
Nutrition
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Claire is co-founder of Authentic Food Quest and a lover of simple and exquisite cuisine. Since 2015, with her partner, Rosemary, she has been traveling the world as a digital nomad, creating content about local food experiences.
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I love creme brulee so this is going to be a major hit in my house. A treat we will make often!
Wonderful to hear Jess. It will certainly add a Mexican twist to creme brulee. Cheers.
I love creme brulee so this is going to be a major hit in my house. A treat we will make often!
Wonderful to hear Jess. It will certainly add a Mexican twist to creme brulee. Cheers.
This was so good! I’ll definitely make it again!
Wonderful to hear Kristen. The next time you make it, please share your pictures and tag #authenticfoodquest. Cheers
This was so good! I’ll definitely make it again!
Wonderful to hear Kristen. The next time you make it, please share your pictures and tag #authenticfoodquest. Cheers
Oh! Thanks for sharing! We lived in Mexico for 8 years and tried this recipe once. I completely forgot the name and just came across your recipe! It was so easy to make and its genuine flavor took me back to our time in Mexico! Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome, Tavo and happy to give you back a taste of Mexico. Such an easy recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
Oh! Thanks for sharing! We lived in Mexico for 8 years and tried this recipe once. I completely forgot the name and just came across your recipe! It was so easy to make and its genuine flavor took me back to our time in Mexico! Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome, Tavo and happy to give you back a taste of Mexico. Such an easy recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Cheers
This dessert looks like custard. We love such a texture of desserts, and I cannot wait to give it a try! The recipe sounds easy to make. 🙂
Great to hear Irina, you will indeed love this simple recipe. Cheers.
Yum! I have never had Jericalla before, thank you for sharing this delicious treat.
You are welcome. Hope you like it!!
Looks like a comforting treat. I feel like I may have had this without realising, but either way looks worth trying at home.
Hope you like it when you make it, Caroline. Thanks for stopping by.
I love how simple the ingredients are and how rich this dessert is! The cinnamon adds such a wonderful flavor to this dessert. Love this!
Great to hear, Jamie. The better quality the ingredients, the better the taste. Cinnamon does add a lot. Cheers.
Yumm! Some of my favorite desserts are those traditional Mexican ones! Tres Leches is one of my favorites…can’t wait to try this one!
Agree with you, Clair. We also love tres leches. Do give jericalla try and let us know what you think. Cheers.
I’ve never tried this before! It sounds good!
Unfortunately (for me) this dessert is not egg free, but let me tell you that it looks delicious.
I’ve never had Jericalla before. It sounds like something I would love. My Ecuadorian friend is married to a Mexican man and are always making me authentic dishes. I will see if they make this one!
Great to hear Monica. Surprise them and make this easy recipe for them. Let us know how it turns out. Cheers.
I love trying ethnic dishes with my family. This looks like a fantastic treat!
And, it is so easy to make as well. Give it a try Vicky and tag us so that we can see how it turns out. Cheers.
Wow this mexican dessert looks yum and simple to make I would love to try this dessert 🙂
With a few simple ingredients, you can easily make it at home. Try it and let us know. Thanks for stopping by.
This looks delicious and I am going to try it. The crust seems to die for.
Great to hear. It is so easy to make. Give it a shot and let us know how it turns out. Cheers.
Wow this looks delicious. I will try to make it, using the quarantine time.
Great to hear Raksha. Do let us know how it turns out. Cheers.
This looks gooood! And seems really simple! I love creme brulee, I’m gonna give this one a try!
Great to hear Veronika. It is similar, yet different from creme brulee. Please let us know how you like jericalla. Cheers.
Will surely try this recipe at home once the lockdown is over.
Don’t wait until the lockdown is over. Try it earlier. You’ll love it. Thanks, Prakhar
I appreciate Mexican food! I love guacamole and nachos! But I don’t think that I’ve ever tried any Mexican dessert yet.
If you already love Mexican food, you’ve got to try this jericalla dessert. It is so easy and quite tasty. Try something new and let us know what you think. Cheers.
I’ve never had Jericalla before, I think I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing!
Give it a shot, Michelle. You’ll love it. Thanks for stopping by.