Mexican Sweet Corn Cake is a side dish commonly served at Mexican restaurants. It’s sweet and buttery, flecked with sweet corn pieces and is ridiculously moist. It makes a great addition to any Mexican meal and also goes really well in chili. Serves 6 to 8.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Have you’ve had Mexican Sweet Corn Cake before?

I remember the first time I had this sweet, delicious and amazing creation. It was years ago when my husband and I went to a Mexican restaurant and we ordered fajitas for two (as we normally do) and on the too-small-of-plate were these two little balls of yellow stuff. I picked at it with my fork and then tasted it. I immediately asked our waitress: “Um excuse me!? What is this and how can I get a bowl of it?”

It’s seriously so so good!

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Needless to say, I had to recreate it at home. Now I can enjoy this entire pan sweet corn cake without driving 50 minutes just to get two measly mounds of it on a teeny-tiny plate.

ingredients for Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

To Make This Mexican Sweet Corn Cake You Will Need:

  • masa harinaAlso known as corn flour.
  • yellow cornmealUse a finer textured cornmeal.
  • sugarLends sweetness and flavor.
  • baking powderWill create lightness in the batter, which makes the corn cake rise.
  • fine saltUse sea or pink Himalayan.
  • sweet cornThaw if using frozen corn.
  • unsalted butter (melted)- Adds richness and flavor.
  • waterUsed for thinning out the batter.
  • heavy creamLends richness and flavor.

dry ingredients in mixing bowl

Preheat your oven to 350°

In a mixing bowl, measure and add 2/3 cup masa harina, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, 2/3 cup sugar (I’m using cane sugar but white granulated is fine too), 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt.

whisked dry ingredients

Whisk well to combine.

add roughly chopped corn

Next add in 1 cup sweet corn that has been roughly chopped. You can do this either by placing the thawed corn on a cutting board and use a knife to chop, or pulse a few times in a personal blender or mini food processor.

add in butter, water and heavy cream

Next pour in 2 sticks (1 cup) melted unsalted butter, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup heavy cream.

mix to combine

Stir well to combine.

transfer to ungreased baking dish

Pour the batter into an non-greased 2-quart oven safe baking dish, tap it a few times so the top evens out.

cover tightly with foil

Cover tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can place this baking dish into a larger baking dish and fill the larger casserole dish 1/3 of the way with water (i.e. a water bath) and carefully slide into your oven. This keeps the corn cake from browning or crisping and will give you a less crumbly texture. It all depends on what you prefer.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Carefully remove the foil from the pan and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

I like to use a ice cream or batter scoop.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

I mean just look at that texture! So good.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

This is exactly what sweet corn cake should look like, except maybe with 15 extra scoops or something.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

This is so easy and I promise you everyone will love this.

No if you’ll excuse me I have some leftover Mexican Sweet Corn Cake to annihilate.

Can You Double This Recipe?

To be completely transparent, I haven’t tested it. However a few readers have and claim it to be too oily. So I wouldn’t recommend it unless you bake it in separate pans.

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Enjoy! And if you give this Mexican Sweet Corn Cake recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake
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Yield: 8 servings

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake

A soft, tender sweet and savory corn cake that works great as a side dish to your favorite Mexican meal or scoop some and add it to your chili. Your life will be forever changed.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup masa harina, (corn flour)
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup sweet corn, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup water, plus more for water bath
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, half & half or whole milk

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°.
  • In a mixing bowl, measure and add masa harina, yellow cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and fine salt. Whisk to combine.
  • Next add in the sweet corn that has been roughly chopped.
    You can do this either by placing the thawed corn on a cutting board and use a knife to chop, or pulse a few times in a personal blender or mini food processor.
  • Lastly add in melted unsalted butter, water and heavy cream. Mix until combined.
  • Pour the batter into an (un-greased) 2-quart oven safe baking dish. Tap it a few times so the top evens out.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 1 hour, rotating halfway through baking.
    OR
    Cover tightly with foil and place the dish into a 9x13 baking dish and then fill up the larger pan 1/3 of the way with water and bake for 1 hour. This keeps the corn cake from browning and will give you a less crumbly texture. It all depends on what you prefer.
  • Once baked, let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to dish and serve the sweet corn cake.

Notes

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 232mg, Potassium: 113mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 890IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 1mg