Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

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Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

This simple baked treat is ubiquitous in Mexican food markets, street stalls and restaurants. Called panqué de elote, pan de elote or pastel de elote, its texture lands somewhere between cake and cornbread while hinting at custard. In Mexico City, we had it for breakfast, as it’s commonly served, but finished with a dusting of powdered sugar, we think it also makes a casual, homey dessert.

Cornmeal is not a typical ingredient in panqué de elote; we add a small amount to account for the fact that fresh Mexican corn used for making this type of cake is starchier and drier than the fresh corn available in the U.S. If you have more than 250 grams (1½ cups) corn after cutting the kernels from the ears, it’s best to save the extra for another use rather than use it in this recipe; the additional moisture may make the cake too wet. Yellow corn yields a cake with a warm golden hue, but white corn also works.

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Author: Milk Street

Ingredients

3 medium ears fresh corn preferably yellow, husked
36 grams fine yellow cornmeal ¼ cup
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
57 grams plain whole-milk yogurt ¼ cup
165 grams all-purpose flour 1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
½ cup neutral oil
powdered sugar to serve

Instructions

Prepare the equipment and the corn:

Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position.
Mist a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.
Using a chef's knife, cut the kernels from the ears of corn.

Purée the corn and dairy:

Measure 250 grams (1½ cups) kernels and add to a blender; if you have extra corn, reserve it for another use.
To the blender, add the cornmeal, condensed milk and yogurt, then puree until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds, scraping down the blender as needed.
Let stand for 10 minutes.

Finish the batter:

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
To the blender, add the whole eggs and yolks, and the oil; blend on low until smooth, 5 to 10 seconds.
Pour the puree into a large bowl.
Add the flour mixture and whisk just until evenly moistened and no lumps of flour remain.

Bake, cool, and serve:

Transfer to the prepared cake pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Run a paring knife around the pan to loosen the cake, then invert directly onto the rack and lift off the pan.
Re-invert the cake onto a serving platter and cool completely, about 1 hour.
Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

Notes

Don’t use frozen corn kernels—it results in a dense, gummy texture. Made with fresh corn, the cake’s crumb is much lighter and softer.
After adding the flour mixture to the corn puree, don’t whisk vigorously. Gentle mixing, just until no pockets of flour remain, will minimize gluten development so the cake bakes up tender.

Nutrition