Suspiro de Limeña was one of the first desserts I had when I came to Lima.
It was so rich and creamy that I couldn’t even finish it in one go, and it quickly became one of my favorite desserts.
Suspiro Limeño is the perfect example of Peruvian cuisine. It’s unique, full of flavor, and completely rememberable.
Also, I loved the backstory for this Peruvian dessert. In the 19th century, poet Jose Galvez tried a decadent dessert made by his wife, Amparo Ayarza. When he tasted it, he fell in love and gave it the name Suspiro de Limeña (sigh of Lima – “Limeña” being a female resident of Lima) because it was like the sigh of a beautiful woman. Or at least that’s how it was told to me.
Suspiro a la Limeña is such a simple dessert recipe. Yes, certain parts of the process might take a bit of time, but you only need a few ingredients to get started.
Also, if you have a stand mixer, then this recipe gets a lot easier. I had a hand mixer and my arm got so tired! So if you don’t have your own, then definitely ask a friend if you can borrow one. And then see if they’d like to split this Suspiro de Limeña recipe with you.
I had made this Suspiro Limeño recipe as apart of a private cooking class.
There were multiple Peruvian dishes I had wanted to make, and this was one of them. So I reached out to Haku Tours (not sponsored) and asked if they were up for it. They were and they were so kind!
I loved working with them, so if you’re ever in Lima, then definitely take a cooking class with them.
Last thought, if you don’t feel like making the merengue part of the dessert, then just enjoying the manjar blanco (the base) is equally valid. It’s Peru’s version of dulce de leche and it is oh so good.
But if you want something that helps to balance out the rich sweetness of the manjar blanco, then you might want to consider making it as well.
If you want some good Peruvian recipes for your main, then definitely try this authentic Peruvian ceviche recipe or Peruvian pork chicharron. They’re two of my favorites!
Suspiro de Limeña
Ingredients
For the Base
- 14 oz. can of evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups condensed milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup lucuma pulp (optional)
For the Merengue
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 water
- cinnamon for dusting (optional)
Instructions
The for Base
- Pour both condensed and evaporated milk into the same pot. Then heat up the milk over a low heat, and stir constantly with a spatula until you can see the bottom of the pot.
- Turn off the stove, remove pot from the heat, add the yolks, and whisk them into the mixture quickly.
- Add the (optional) lucuma pulp, also mixing quickly.
- Pass the mixture through a strainer and pour it into two cups.
- Once it's cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
For the Merengue
- Put the water and sugar in a pot.
- Boil the sugar water until the temperature reaches 240-244°F (use a candy thermometer).
- When the syrup reaches 230°F, start beating the egg whites at high speed with a blender.
- When the sugar water syrup reaches the right temperature, remove pot from heat and start slowly pouring it into the whipped egg whites (on the side of the bowl), still beating at high speed.
- Continue beating the egg whites at high speed until the bowl has completely cooled.
- Put the meringue into a pastry bag and start piping it on top of the suspiro de limeña.
- Dust with cinnamon powder (optional).
Grace Moser is the author and founder of Chasing Foxes, where she writes articles to help women create a life they love in big and small ways. She's been a full-time traveler since 2016 and loves sharing her experiences and exploring the world with her husband, Silas. Her lifestyle and travel advice can also be seen on sites such as Business Insider, Glamour, Newsweek, Huffpost, & Apartment Therapy.