Queijadas de Leite no Liquidificador
(kay-ZHAH-duhz duh LAY-tuh)
Dias de Festa
If you grew up in a Portuguese household, you know this smell. These are the unpretentious, crustless cousins of the famous pastel de nata—deeply custardy with a chewy, caramelized edge. Making them used to mean standing over a hot stove, but generations ago, pragmatic grandmothers discovered a secret: the blender. Throw it all in, skip the Americanized vanilla extract in favor of real lemon zest and cinnamon, and pour. It’s practical, perfectly textured, and tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Generously brush a 12-cup metal muffin tin with melted butter, chill in the fridge for 5 minutes, then heavily dust with flour.
Because these tarts form their own crust out of caramelized sugar, they will stubbornly stick to a bare pan if you skip this step.
Ingredients
- granulated sugar2 cup
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- large eggs4 large
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
- medium lemon1 med
- ground cinnamon1 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 375°F and warm the milk until it is just warm to the touch.
Warming the milk ensures the melted butter won't solidify into clumps when they meet, keeping the batter perfectly silky.
- 02
Add the eggs, sugar, flour, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, warm milk, and lemon zest to a blender and blend on medium-high for 30 to 45 seconds.
The batter should be completely smooth, frothy on top, and quite thin, almost like a crepe batter.
- 03
Pour the batter directly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup three-quarters full, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Around the 20-minute mark, they will puff up dramatically like mini-soufflés. Bake until the tops are deeply golden brown and slightly blistered.
- 04
Remove from the oven, allow them to deflate naturally, and cool in the pan for exactly 10 minutes.
The deflation creates the dense, gooey custard center. Do not let them cool completely in the pan or the caramelized sugar will harden like glue.
- 05
Run a thin knife around the edge of each tart to pop them out, and dust generously with ground cinnamon.
They are spectacular eaten slightly warm, but achieve their ultimate fudgy texture after chilling in the fridge for a few hours.
Notes
Skip the vanilla extract.
Many English adaptations add it automatically, but authentic Portuguese baking relies purely on the bright oils of fresh lemon zest and the warmth of cinnamon. Skipping the vanilla is what makes this taste exactly like the old country.