Cambray Empanadas (Colombian Sweet Empanadas)

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Cambray empanadas are the sweet Colombian empanada: corn dough mixed with cheese and panela syrup, filled with grated cassava, cinnamon and cloves, then baked instead of fried. They come from Bugalagrande in the Valle del Cauca and are eaten at breakfast or mid-afternoon. Makes six.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: cambray empanadas

Servings:

Calories: 1365kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

750 g cooked corn dough (masa) about 1½ lb; the same dough used for arepas and tamales
2 cups honey or panela syrup, or to taste traditionally panela syrup; bee honey works and tastes more floral
500 g white cheese, grated about 1 lb; queso blanco or queso fresco, mild and firm
1 kg cassava, peeled and cooked about 2¼ lb; frozen yuca works and is easier to find in the US
2 eggs
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the grated cassava, 1 cup of the honey or panela syrup, the ground cloves and the cinnamon. Stir well and let it rest: this is the filling.
Separately, mix the corn dough with the remaining honey and the grated cheese, working it until the dough is smooth and even.
Take small portions of dough and roll them into balls. Put each one between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten it with a rolling pin into a thin disc, about the thickness of a small arepa. Repeat with the rest.
Peel off the plastic and spoon the filling onto each disc. Fold the disc over on itself and press the edges firmly to seal. Keep the filling thin: an overfilled empanada splits along the seam in the oven.
Place them on a baking tray greased with butter.
Bake at 330 °F (165 °C) for about 20 minutes, until the surface is dry and lightly golden at the edges.
Take them out and let them rest before eating. They firm up as they cool and the filling is very hot straight from the oven.

Notes

Guava paste is the usual alternative filling: lay a line of it along the dough before folding. Arequipe works too. Whatever you use, keep the layer thin, or the empanada opens along the seam as it bakes.

Nutrition