Traditional Mexican Dessert Recipes

Below are traditional Mexican dessert recipes for making delicious homemade cakes, candy, and date meringue pie. I know you'll enjoy making these authentic treats from Old Mexico.

The Mexican date pie is definitely worth trying, especially if you love the exotic, sweet taste of dates topped with an oven-browned meringue. When Mom made it, we could hardly wait to eat it. And it's so easy to make too!

Traditional Mexican Dessert Recipes

California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book (1914)

Spanish-Mexican Brown Cake

Cream two cups brown sugar with one cup butter, pour around this one cup sweet or sour milk, whip four eggs and pour on top, add three cups flour with three teaspoons baking powder sifted through, two teaspoons cinnamon, mix and pour into baking tins, sprinkle top with brown sugar, ground pecans and cinnamon while raw; bake in medium oven (350°F).

Or add enough flour on rolling board to make a soft dough, cut into large round buns; bake and spread with icing made of hot water and brown sugar cooked until thick with pecan nuts added.

Spanish-Mexican Chocolate Cake

Melt two (IBARRA) cakes, add one-half cup butter, one cup brown sugar, beat four eggs separately, mix yolk into chocolate, butter and sugar, beat well, pour one cup milk on top, the beaten egg white on top of milk, three cups flour with two tablespoons baking powder, stir all together, add teaspoon vanilla, bake in loaf or layers.

Make icing of one melted (IBARRA) chocolate cake, tablespoon butter, one-half cup brown sugar, cook; when cool spread on cake or use as filling.

Mexican Candy Recipe

Two cups dark brown sugar, one-half cup water, teaspoon butter, cook until it forms a soft ball in water, put pecan nuts in bottom of buttered saucers and pour sugar on while hot; let cool and there's the little thin round cakes one sees on the street sold by Mexican vendors.

Traditional Mexican Dessert Recipes

Mom's Recipe Scrapbooks (c. 1920s)

Mexican Coffee Recipe

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups coffee, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 4 teaspoonfuls chocolate syrup, 3/4 teaspoonful cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoonful nutmeg.

Method:

Begin with a fine dark brew of strong hot coffee. Stir the cream until it's thickened almost like whipped cream.

Pour the chocolate syrup evenly into 4 warmed cups. Add the coffee to the chocolate syrup and blend well. Then, sprinkle on the cinnamon and nutmeg and top with cream.

Flavoring with Kahlua is optional in this traditional Mexican beverage.

Mexican Date Pie With Meringue

Ingredients: 1 cup white sugar, yolks of 2 eggs, 1 cup sweet cream or milk, chopped dates to cover bottom of pie shell, pecans (optional), and 2 egg whites for meringue.

To make this traditional Mexican dessert recipe, line pie plate with pie crust, and put a layer of chopped dates in bottom. Then mix together sugar, egg yolks, and cream. Pour mixture on top of dates, and bake in 350°F oven till it appears done. Pecans may be also added, if preferred.

Beat whites of eggs stiff, sweeten with sugar, and spread over top of pie for a meringue. Return briefly to oven to brown.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup pecans (or nuts available)

Beat butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Shape into walnut sized balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325°F for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and roll in confectioners' sugar.