Spanish papajotes are one of the most typical sweets or desserts from Jaén, in Spain. They are round deep fried bite size biscuits, which inside have a texture similat to a cake, and not bread-like, like donuts, for example.
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Many people also call them paparajotes here in Spain. They are a very typical dessert, especially at the end of February, in March and April. They are small sponge cakes that are deep fried and then covered with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon powder while they are still hot, so that the mixture sticks well.
Papajotes have few ingredients, and they are all basic ingredients that most of us already have in our pantries. One of the main ones is lemon. Lemon gives them a fresh, and full-flavored taste.
They are round in shape, more like a sphere, and the way to make them has a trick. The best way to make them is to use a hand whisk (if it is small it is better), turn it over in the dough to cover it completely on the bottom, and let the dough fall in the oil, in a sort of string so that it forms a small circle and starts to fry. Then turn it over so that it is done on the other side. This is how these little spheres of sponge cake are formed. Do not put too much dough on the whisk, because otherwise we will have too big spheres of dough and too big papajotes. It is necessary to put only little by little, so that they are small.
This is the way to get them right, because doing it with a couple of spoons does not work the same way.
If you like this recipe, you have to check out our torrijas, spanish french toast recipe, you will love it for sure!
Spanish papajotes
Ingredients
- 2 C (250 gr) all purpouse flour
- 1 C (200 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 C (90 gr) white sugar
- 1 tbsp (7 gr) baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 lemon
- 1 egg, big
- Olive oil, for frying
- White sugar and cinnamon powder mixed, for covering the papajotes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, place the egg and sugar and mix quickly with an electric mixer or a hand whisk. Then add the milk and lemon zest, making sure to add only the yellow part of the zest, not the white, because it is bitter, and beat again.
- Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture, little by little, mixing after each addition until you get a homogeneous batter.
- Put the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat (enough to submerge the papajotes when cooking), and wait for the oil to heat up. You can tell when it is ready because when you pour a little of the mixture, many bubbles quickly form around it.
- When the oil is ready, start making the papajotes. The best way to make them is to use a hand whisk, cover it in the mixture, and, pour the mixture in the oil, forming a string, until it forms a small circle. Let it cook a little and then turn it over to cook on the other side. Cook all the papajotes until the mixture is finished.
- Place the papajotes on a plate with kitchen paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Before they cool, dip the papajotes in the cinnamon sugar to cover them completely and serve.
