The plantain cake comes from our dad’s side of the family. Our great grandmother, Eva Acevedo, brought it from Maracaibo, a city in the western region of Venezuela. She then taught our grandmother, Haydee, and it quickly became one of our dad’s favorite recipes. He loved it so much that when our parents immigrated to the United States our mom was tasked with learning how to make it. After countless attempts under her mother-in-law’s scrutiny, our mom finally perfected the plantain cake.
As we continue to collect family recipes from all over the world we learn more about our family history and hear wonderful stories from decades ago. Our aunt, Maria Helena, also has a fond memory of her grandmother making this cake. She recalls the loud racket heard throughout the house as she violently whisked the egg whites by hand. As Maria Helena remembers it, the sound was so loud it would even reach the neighbors. On one occasion as grandmother Eva fervently whisked the egg whites to get those desired firm white peaks she managed to shatter the glass bowl. With the Christmas holidays approaching we are really excited to see Maria Helena and her new beautiful baby girl, Eva Luna, who shares her name with our glass shattering great grandmother.
- 3 eggs
- 2 ripe plantains
- ½ lb white semisoft cheese
- Peel the plantains and cut at an angle to create 2 to 3 inch long slices. The slices should be less than a ¼ inch in thickness.
- In a large skillet fry the plantains on medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom.
- With a fork flip the plantains so that both sides are cooked evenly. They should be a dark brown color when done.
- Set them on a plate with some paper towels to soak up the extra oil.
- Separate egg yolks from egg whites and set yolks aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
- With a spatula fold in the egg yolks to create a light yellow foamy mixture and add a pinch of salt.
- Cut the cheese into thin slices.
- Clean the large skillet and wipe with some oil. You must use a non-stick skillet. Set to medium low heat.
- Spoon about half the egg mixture in the pan creating a pancake about 8 inches in diameter.
- Evenly place about half the plantains on the egg mixture.
- Now place a layer of the sliced cheese and repeat to create a second layer of plantains and cheese.
- Spoon the remaining egg mixture on top and spread evenly.
- Cover the pan with a lid to help cook the top before flipping.
- After about 5 minutes with a spatula separate the cake from the bottom.
- We find that the easiest way to flip it is to use a few spatulas to transfer the cake on to a plate and then with one hand under the plate invert the pan on to the uncooked side and with one swift motion flip and remove the plate from the pan.
- Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes and serve hot with some extra cheese on the side.
- The white semisoft cheese we use is Venadito Cheese. If you can't find something similar try mozzarella.
- Be careful when frying the plantains as they tend to burn easily.
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