Name: Guatemalan Sweet Cakes
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 1/4 hr
Yield: Makes 9 (snack or dessert) muffins
Ingredients: 3/4 cup rice flour (not Asian); 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened; 2/3 cup sugar; 3 large eggs; 1/2 cup farmer cheese at room temperature; Equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/2-cup) cups; paper liners

In Mexico, a quesadilla is more like what we think of as a grilled cheese sandwich, but with tortillas instead of bread. In Guatemala, these sweet little cheese things are like buttery cupcakes, and they are baked as special-occasion treats for children who've had a good report card or lost a tooth.

Cooks' notes:

· Cakes are best eaten the day they are made. · Cakes can also be baked in lined mini-muffin pans for 30 minutes; recipe yields 30 mini muffins.

Recipe notes

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