Savory Ham and Cheese Loaf Cake
A savoury loaf with diced ham and cheese, lightened by separately whipped egg whites — the Argentine answer to the cake salé, and a very good way to use up leftovers.
The original calls for Queso Mar del Plata, an Argentine cheese that started life as a local take on Gouda or Edam, brought over by European immigrants. It is a semi-hard cheese with a few small holes and a mild but faintly sharp, salty flavour. Outside Argentina, these are the best alternatives:
- Gouda: the closest replacement in texture and flavour.
- Edam: has that same firmness and mildness.
- Fontina: a slightly more intense note, and it melts beautifully.
- Young Gruyère: for a more complex profile that still holds the structure of the loaf.
The whipped egg white goes in last and with careful folding — it is the only lift the batter has.
Ingredients
- 100 g butter
- 3 eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- 100 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 heaping tsp baking powder
- 150 g cooked ham, chopped
- 150 g semi-hard cheese (Gouda type), diced
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Breadcrumbs for the tin
Method
- 1
Beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add the egg yolks, the mustard, the parsley, salt and pepper and work to an even cream.
- 2
Add the flour sifted with the baking powder, alternating with the milk to keep the consistency.
- 3
Fold in the chopped ham and the diced cheese. Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites with gentle, sweeping movements so you do not lose the air.
- 4
Pour into a loaf tin buttered and dusted with breadcrumbs. Bake at a moderate 180 °C for 35 minutes. Let it rest for 15 minutes before turning out.