Obleas con cajeta: what they are, origin and recipe

What is it?

Wafers with cajeta are one of the simplest and most beloved traditional sweets of the Mexican Bajio: two thin, crisp discs of flour wafer (similar to the Host) filled with a generous layer of burnt goat's-milk cajeta. The cajeta spread over the wafer adds deep sweetness and intense caramel, while the wafer serves as a neutral, crisp support. They are typical of Celaya, Guanajuato, the national capital of cajeta, where they are sold in boxes decorated with colonial motifs as a tourist souvenir. They are also made in San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Aguascalientes. Their simplicity makes them one of the most authentic and recognisable sweets of traditional Mexican confectionery.

Origin and history

Cajeta arose in Celaya, Guanajuato, during the 18th century, the fruit of making use of the abundant goat's milk of the region and the influence of Spanish convent techniques for milk sweets. Larousse Cocina documents that the name cajeta comes from the small wooden "tejamanil" boxes in which the sweet was originally sold. Wafers with cajeta were born as a logical derivative: the Hosts and wafers that the convents produced in the colonial period found a secular use as a support for spreading the milk sweet. Mexico Desconocido records that in the 19th century wafers with cajeta were already an obligatory souvenir for travellers passing through Celaya on the route to Mexico City or central Mexico. Brands such as Coronado, founded in 1956, and Glorias del Norte (more recent) industrialised production and spread it nationally, keeping the wafer-cajeta pairing as a flagship product.

Characteristic ingredients

The base wafer is made with wheat flour, water, a pinch of sugar and sometimes a little oil, cooked on hot iron plates that leave very thin, white, crisp sheets 8-12 cm in diameter. Cajeta, the star ingredient, is made with goat's milk, sugar and bicarbonate slowly cooked in a copper pan until it thickens and caramelises. There are three types: natural cajeta (light colour, sweet milky flavour), burnt cajeta (darker and more caramelised) and wine cajeta (with a touch of sweet wine or brandy). The best wafers with cajeta use artisanal burnt cajeta from Celaya. The filling is spread generously over one wafer and covered with another, forming a circular sandwich. Modern variants include wafers with strawberry, chocolate, walnut or pineapple cajeta. They keep at room temperature and last for weeks if well sealed, which made them ideal as a travel product since the 19th century.

Cultural significance

Wafers with cajeta are an emblem of Celaya, Guanajuato, and of the culture of milk sweets in the Mexican Bajio. Celaya is known as "the cradle of cajeta" and keeps an active guild of artisanal producers, in addition to the big industrial brands such as Coronado. The wafer-cajeta pairing is part of the culture of the gastronomic souvenir: together with the ates of Morelia, the borrachitos of Tenancingo and the glorias of Linares, they are the typical sweets that each Mexican region exports to its visitors. Wafers with cajeta are present at any motorway rest stop, gift shop, traditional market and sweet shop in the country, and their modest price makes them accessible to any visitor. The cajeta industry supports thousands of goat farmers of the Bajio and represents one of the most successful value chains of Mexican confectionery, recognised at the International Cajeta Fair held annually in Celaya.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between natural, burnt and wine cajeta?

Natural cajeta is the lightest and softest, boiled for less time; the burnt one is cooked longer until it caramelises more deeply, with a more intense flavour and a dark mahogany colour; the wine one has a final touch of sweet wine or brandy that adds an alcoholic-fruity aroma. All three are used in wafers, but the burnt one is the most traditional.

What do wafers with cajeta taste like?

They taste mainly of cajeta: caramelised goat's milk with a deep sweetness, toasted notes, a slight goaty acidity and a buttery finish. The wafer adds a neutral crunch that contrasts with the dense creaminess of the filling. The overall sensation is intensely sweet, deeply milky and texturally balanced between crisp and creamy.

How are wafers with cajeta served?

They are eaten as they are, like an individual sweet on the go or as a dessert, with the wrapping removed. They go ideally with an Americano coffee, a clay-pot coffee or an atole. They are also used broken up as decoration or an ingredient in cakes, ice creams and modern pies. At fairs and rest stops they are sold in decorated boxes as a tourist souvenir.

Where do wafers with cajeta come from?

They come from Celaya, Guanajuato, the national capital of cajeta since the 18th century thanks to the goat farming of the Bajio. Wafers as a support for spreading the milk sweet became popular in the 19th century as a tourist product for travellers. Today they are also made in San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Aguascalientes, but Celaya keeps the traditional denomination.