Easy Yema Spread made with egg yolks and condensed milk for a delicious sweet treat you’ll love as frosting for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies or as a spread for sandwiches and breakfast toasts!
Guys, you’re either going to love me or hate me for this yema recipe. It’s seriously addicting, you’ll be sitting around with a spoon and consume the whole 1752-calorie jar in one go. Which I guess is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.
If it weren’t so dangerously delicious, I love keeping this spread handy at all times. It’s excellent on cakes, cupcakes, Skyflakes, sandwiches or toasts. And it’s so easy to make with only three ingredients and less than 15 minutes cook time!
How to Make Yema Spread
In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and condensed milk until well-blended. I like to add a small pinch of salt as well to balance the sweetness, but please check if you’re using unsalted or salted butter.
In a pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. When it begins to liquify but still warm (NOT hot), add the egg-milk mixture and stir to combine. Make sure to use a nonstick skillet to make mixing easier.
Don’t worry if the fat floats on top, it will incorporate with the rest of the ingredients once the mixture begins to thicken. Please do not omit the butter as it helps for a spreadable consistency.
After about 8 to 10 minutes, the mixture will begin to thicken. At this point, tend to it religiously and whisk regularly to prevent from burning at the bottom and from clumping.
It might be tempting to raise the heat to speed up the process, but I suggest keeping it at medium-low as the mixture can burn pretty quickly.
I actually had to make the spread twice as my phone was ringing and I walked away from the stove to answer. It took but a quick minute for the yema to stick to the bottom of the pan and clump up!
As you can see from the photo above ☝, the previous batch had unsightly lumps and browned spots. Still scrumptious, of course, and it didn’t go to waste as I may or may not have finished the whole pan-full by myself but definitely not pretty enough to give away as gifts.
Now, this photo above ☝ is the viscosity we’re looking for. The egg-milk spread is smooth without lumps and flows like golden lava.
You can cook it a little longer if you want to reduce and thicken it further but the consistency above is what I recommend if you’re going to use it as frosting on cakes (yema cake recipe coming soon!).
Also, the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools so it’s best to take it off the heat a tad thinner than you like the final product.
If you’re storing the yema for future use, transfer to a container while it’s still warm as again, it thickens as it cools and spooning it through the small mouth of a mason jar can get pretty sticky and messy.
However, let it cool thoroughly first before covering lest the moisture from the steam will ruin the yema.
Unfortunately, four egg yolks and one can (14.5 ounces) condensed milk yield only roughly one cup. Fortunately, you can easily double or triple the recipe to meet what you need.
Yema spread is not only a special sweet treat you’ll love, but it also makes great holiday gifts. Check out these FREE canning labels printables on my other blog you can customize, print, and label your homemade gift jars. Enjoy!
Looking for more delicious Yema sweets to try?
Yema Candy
Brazo de Mercedes
Yema Bread Rolls
Easy Yema Spread
Ingredients
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/8 teaspoon salt, optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine condensed milk, egg yolks, and salt (if using). Whisk until well-blended and evenly colored.
- In a wide, nonstick pan over medium-low heat, heat butter until slightly melted and still warm (NOT hot).
- Add egg-milk mixture and stir well to combine.
- Cook, stirring regularly and scraping sides and bottom with a spoon, for about 15 minutes or until mixture thickens to a spreadable paste.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool to warm, and transfer to airtight container. Allow to cool completely before closing with lid. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, Lalaine! It’s me again.
I’m just wondering, does the eggs and butter make it too yellowish in color and not brown like dulce de leche? I plan on doing this soon. Thanks!
Hi Jec,
Yes, the color is more yellow than brown because of the yolks 🙂
Hello,
What is the shelf life of this?
Thank you
Hello Elsa
I would say about a week in the fridge. To be honest, I don’t really have a definite time frame as it doesn’t last more than a few hours in our house, I go through the whole batch in like one sitting 🙁
I will surely try this Yema spread. My grandkids will be more than happy to try and taste this very Filipino sweet taste.
I am sure they’ll love this!
Oh this looks just perfect! Creamy and smooth! Can understand how you can finish a whole batch in one go! I could too!
Thanks, Bebs.
How much is one serving? Not bad at 219 cal i think. Would love to try this some day!
One serving is about 2 tablespoons 🙂
j the recipes you share Are authentic, nothing is missed out and very doable. Thank you, thank you… waiting for the cake….
Lydia Espinosa
I love your your Yema spread recipe!j the recipes you share Are authentic, nothing is missed out and very doable. Thank you, thank you… waiting for the cake….
Lydia Espinosa
Awww, thank you so much, Lydia. You made my day! Yes, I am excited to post the yema cake soon 🙂
I love your your Yema spread recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I always go to your recipes because they. Are authentic, nothing is missed out and very doable. Thank you, thank you… waiting for the cake….
Lydia Espinosa