Milhojas on a sunny afternoon

Let me tell you, these cakes taste as good as they look. The fluffy sweet meringue filling is like a heartfelt hug for the mouth; sweet and lasting long after the final mouthful. So, congratulations Milhoja, your filling as soft as a cloud has officially won you the title of ‘Best Spanish Cake’, well…until my next outing to the pasteleria.

This pick-me-up was also the perfect start to a little exploration around Madrid’s centre. The last time I visited the Plaza Mayor was when I was 13 and on a Spanish trip to Madrid. The memory of the square sticks with me not because I was impressed by the buskers or street entertainers, nor particularly amazed by the architecture, but instead because it was the place where I asked to buy my first bottle of water – in Spanish – from one of the many cafes. It’s these simple things, like the twinge of claustrophobia felt when standing in a packed metro train at rush hour, or the guilty pleasure of devouring a hot churro that reminds me of that first, memorable trip to Madrid. However, at the age of 13 and with my Spanish vocabulary being pretty limited to ‘una botella de agua mineral por favor’ everything seemed so overwhelming, so brilliant and so foreign. Now however, this city is my home. I’ve only been here for two weeks but already I can recite to you every stop on the green metro line and with my slightly improved Spanish (emphasis on ‘slightly’) I might even be able to give you directions for the best place in Madrid to buy Milhojas, of course it might also be accompanied by a ‘Can I come too?’….