Then, I asked a Spanish friend if she had ever baked with it. She immediately suggested making bizcocho de gofio, a traditional sponge cake using gofio instead of regular flour.
As I took my first sip of gofio with warm milk, I was immediately surprised by the flavor. It was nutty, toasty and slightly smoky. The texture was smooth but had a little graininess to it, making it feel hearty and comforting.
It reminded me of when I used to stir cocoa powder into warm milk for a cup of hot chocolate. But instead of chocolatey sweetness, it had a toasted, earthy taste. I could instantly see why so many Canarians consider it a comfort food.
The gofio spongecake was just as surprising. The cake was soft but dense, with a slightly sandy texture from the gofio. At first, I didn't like the texture. Soon, though, it grew on me. The toasty flavor paired so perfectly with my morning coffee that by the end of the week, the cake had completely disappeared!
To make a classic gofio with warm milk, you simply heat up a cup of milk and stir in two to three spoonfuls of gofio.
Making gofio sponge cake is just like making any other cake, but instead of regular flour, you use gofio!
The volcanic soil and mild climate of the Canary Islands create the perfect conditions for growing crops like corn, wheat, and barley, which constitute the key ingredients in gofio. Long before the Spanish arrived, the Guanches cultivated these grains and used them to make gofio.
