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Overhead view of baked capirotada in a glass dish, melted cheese top, raisins and almonds scattered across golden bread

Baked Mexican Capirotada with Piloncillo and Cheese

Butter-fried bolillo bread soaked in spiced piloncillo syrup and layered with raisins, almonds, and melted queso fresco.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the bread
  • 6 bolillo rolls rolls (about 500 g); sliced into 2.5 cm / 1-inch rounds
  • 90 g unsalted butter plus extra for greasing the dish
For the piloncillo syrup
  • 300 g piloncillo roughly chopped, or 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  • 750 ml water / 3 cups
  • 2 sticks Mexican cinnamon sticks (canela)
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 1/4 tsp salt
For the layers
  • 100 g raisins
  • 60 g sliced almonds
  • 200 g queso fresco crumbled
  • 1 banana medium; sliced

Method
 

Make the syrup
  1. Heat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Butter a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
  2. Combine the piloncillo, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and salt in a 2-quart / 1.9 L saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the syrup coats the back of a spoon and the piloncillo has fully dissolved. Strain out the cinnamon sticks and cloves.
Fry and layer the bread
  1. Melt the butter in a 30 cm / 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Slice the bolillo rolls and fry the slices in two batches, about 2 minutes per side, until golden and crisp at the edges. Don't crowd the pan or the bread will steam instead of crisping.
  2. Arrange half the fried bolillo rolls in the prepared baking dish. Scatter over half the raisins, almonds, banana slices, and queso fresco.
  3. Repeat with the remaining bolillo rolls, raisins, almonds, banana, and cheese.
  4. Pour the warm syrup evenly over the layers, pressing down gently with a spoon so the bread soaks it up. Let it sit for 10 minutes before baking.
Bake and serve
  1. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  2. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges are bubbling and lightly browned.
  3. Cool for 10 minutes before serving warm, straight from the dish.

Notes

  • Use stale or toasted bread. Fresh soft bread turns mushy once the syrup goes on.
  • Strain the syrup before pouring to catch loose cinnamon and clove pieces.
  • Bake covered first to keep the bread moist, then uncover to brown the cheese.
  • Don't skip the rest time. Capirotada slices cleaner after 10 minutes off the heat.