Sweet Mexican corn cake (pastel de elote)

Don’t get this corn cake mixed up with the more common American cornbread – Mexico's pastel de elote is loaded with fresh corn and sweetened with condensed milk. The resulting cake possesses a dense, moist texture not dissimilar to bread pudding. The juicier the corn kernels, the more custardy your cake will be – sometimes even forming a silky layer on the bottom.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  12

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• melted butter, to grease
• 500 g (3 cups) fresh corn kernels (see Baker’s tip)
• 395 g tin sweetened condensed milk
• 80 g butter, melted
• 1 tsp natural vanilla essence or extract
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 110 g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt

Cooling time 1 hour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Brush a 9 cm x 21.5 cm loaf tin with the melted butter to grease and then line the base and two long sides with one piece of non-stick baking paper.

Combine the corn kernels, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla in a food processor until almost smooth. Add the eggs and process briefly until just combined. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and process until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the lined tin. Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in the tin for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool (this will take about 1 hour). Serve in slices.

Baker’s tips

• You will need about 4-5 medium cobs of corn for this recipe.

• This cornbread will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. Read our interview with her or for hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food preparation by Kerrie Ray.

For more recipes, view our online column, Bakeproof: Latin American cakes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.