Mexican corn cake our mother’s recipe, this is one of our family’s most beloved recipes, and most well kept ones too. Corn cake, or “pan de elote” is not the same as cornbread, which is the type most people make in the US for example. This is more like a sort of cake that is made almost entirely with just natural white corn on the cob. Now, there are many variations of this type of recipe, and I am sure that throughout Mexico, being such a large country, this recipe changes a lot. In fact, I don’t even know if it is a typical recipe only in the north of Mexico, which is where we are from, or if it is also typical in the center and south of the country.
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If you are from Mexico, tell us if it is also made in other areas. In our case, this is a very dear recipe to us, because it is a recipe that our grandmother used to make a lot. In fact, she would crush the corn kernels in a “molinillo” which is similar to a grinder, a but really old, which was in the backyard, and many times she would make us, her grandchildren, do the hard work. Several times, while she used the corn to make a cake like this one, she also made corn tamales. And as we used to tell her, we liked her to make them “con puro elote” meaning that we didn’t want her to use flour of any kind to “fill” the texture of the cake or tamales, but just the kernels themselves.
So, this recipe is made entirely and purely with corn as the base. It is a sweet, soft, rich cake, it is dense, and it is full of flavor. When you eat it (and you can see it in the photos) you can notice the pieces of the corn kernels that are left, and you can even see the husks or “skin” of each kernel. This part, for me, is the best.
On top, it forms a crunchy layer that is a bit golden brown, and inside it is always juicy and soft. It has a particular flavor that I don’t know how to describe, but that everyone I know likes. It is an easy, simple and very natural recipe that always reminds us of home.
Now, the corn or cob used for this recipe is the natural one, the usual white corn. You can’t use the sweet corn, very yellow in color that is sometimes sold in supermarkets, it has to be the natural corn, which is completely raw and has to be cooked from scratch.
We like it very much with a glass of cold milk. Specially straight out of the oven, when it still is a bit warm, but there are many people who like it cold. In fact, Irma likes it much better cold than hot. She likes to put it in the fridge even and wait until it cools down to eat it that way.
If you like this recipe, you have to check out our pineapple tamales, you’re sure to love them!
Mexican corn cake, our mother’s recipe
Ingredients
- 12 natural white corn on the cob
- 1/2 tsp (2.5 g) salt
- 1 1/2 C (300 gr) white sugar
- 2 tsp (10 gr) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp (3.18 oz) (90 gr) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 can (12 fl oz) (354 ml) evaporated milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 356º F (180º C) and grease a 9,80 x 15,80 inches (25 x 40 cm) rectangular baking dish with high walls.
- Peel and clean the corn one by one, then rinse them and dry them up well. Cut the kernels off the cob, very carefully, using a knife.
- Put the corn kernels in a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds to obtain a sort of corn puree.
- Pour the corn puree into a bowl and add in the salt, sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract and melted butter. Mix using a rubber spatula until ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Gradually add the evaporated milk while mixing. The evaporated milk is added a little at a time because many times the corn already releases a lot of juice by itself. Therefore, you must first add less evaporated milk and see if you add more.
- Once you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture, not so liquid or so thick, pour it carefully into the baking dish and spread it evenly with the rubber spatula. Bake at 180° C for 40 to 50 minutes until the corn bread is golden brown.
- Once ready, remove the corn bread from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.
