Yesterday someone wrote and asked me:

My daughter is working on a Spanish report about the dish called Torta del Cielo.  She is not finding much about it and was wondering if you would have any information that might help such as the region this dessert is found and it's origin. She would appreciate any help you could give her.

While I couldn’t find the recipe by that exact name, I did find one similar at Just Great Recipes:

 

Tocinillos de Cielo

 

For Caramel:

4 TBS granulated sugar

1 TBS water

 

For Custard:

1 1/3 Cc granulated sugar

1 C water

12 egg yolks

 

For Decoration:

12 small meringues

 

To make the caramel:

Place 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon water in the bottom of a 9 X 7-inch baking dish. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a light caramel color. Remove from the heat immediately and tilt the pan to distribute the caramel mixture evenly over the bottom.

 

To make the custard:

Mix 1 1/3 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan and bring just to the boiling point over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and beat thoroughly. Beat in the sugar syrup a little at a time. When incorporated, pour the custard mixture over the caramel in the baking pan. Place it in a larger baking pan full of enough hot water to reach about half way up the outside of the custard pan. Place it on the stove and cook over medium heat until the water surrounding the custard mold comes to a gentle boil. Continue to cook until the custard is set, about thirty minutes. Remove from the heat and let the custard cool in the water bath. Run a knife around the edges of the custard and invert onto a serving plate. Serve decorated with the meringues.

 

Apparently the person who wrote me read my article about Spain and could not locate the recipe (Tocinillos de Cielo wasn’t included); I had almost given up trying to locate the dish when I happened upon Just Great Recipes. Kudos to them!