Croissants are common in Melbourne. Koiugn-amann, crullers and caneles are catching on. But Spanish pastries are mostly invisible outside the expat community.

La Colmena, a new stall at Prahran Market, is the address to know for anyone curious to try the craft of pasteleria. Owner Cristina Jimenez comes from a family of chefs in the Balearic Islands, off the coast of Spain, and has been watching her parents bake pastries, including the region's famous coiled pastry ensaimada, for more than 40 years.

"My philosophy is to really honour Spanish pastry, not to do an invention that works here. I want to do the real thing," she says.

Her ensaimadas, for example, take two days to make, with no machinery involved. To caramelise the sugary tops of piononos, small cylinder-shaped sponge cakes filled with custard, Jimenez uses a piece of hot iron, which produces a smoky flavour.

Jimenez left a career in computer engineering to take pastry courses in Melbourne and, finally, open her first pastry shop.

"A big part of this adventure is education. Everyone knows what paella is or what tapas are, but no one knows about Spanish pastry," she says.

She is delighted with the response to more unusual ingredients, like the Mallorcan pumpkin seed jam called cabello d'angel, found in one style of La Colmena's ensaimada.

Ensaimada, plain or filled, is always on offer, along with the round piononos and miguelitos, squares of puff pastry filled with cream or chocolate. Rotating specials include glaseados, which features impressive layers of Italian meringue, puff pastry, cabello d'angel and a toasted yolk top.

Over Christmas, look out for rounds of brioche-type bread, called roscon de reyes, sandwiched with vanilla cream and topped with candied orange and toasted almond. There are plans for Spanish hot drinks and savoury pastries in the new year.

Open Tue and Thu-Sat 7am-5pm, Sun 10am-3pm (or until sold out)

Stall T20, Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road, South Yarra, lacolmena.com.au