This week Sara shares a recipe from her last trip to Mexico for Pan de Elote (Mexican Cornbread). Think you’ve tried all the cornbread recipes imaginable? Not this one. Pan de Elote looks like cornbread and smells like cornbread, but it is not at all like cornbread. With a texture more like thick pudding, and silky sweetness in your mouth, this magical recipe will help you realize why Mexico is, truly, the birthplace of corn.
Ingredients
4 heaping cups fresh corn (use fresh in season. If not, use frozen corn that has been thawed)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons of flour
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350
This cake is all about the texture or consistency of the corn. If the kernels are too big then you won’t get the creamy moistness of the cake. To achieve this, you’ll begin by
grinding half of your corn in the food processor until it looks like a paste or thick puree. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until well combined with a hand mixer. Keep the machine running and add your egg yolks one by one, until incorporated. Add in your c
orn puree and the remaining whole corn kernels and the flour.
Then in another bowl, using the electric mixer with the whisk attachment beat your egg whites until they
form stiff peaks. You’ll know the whites are done when you turn the bowl upside down and the whites don’t move. Gently fold the beaten whites into your corn batter and pour into a round, greased springform pan, or greased dish of your choosing. Bake for about 75-90 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I recommend checking the cake every 30 minutes to ensure that it does not over cook). Let it cool for 20 minutes and serve warm.
Download: Pan de Elote Recipe