Sweet Corn Cake

Our most requested recipe! You will find Sweet Corn Cake served with many entrees at Blue Mesa Grill. Steaming – the secret to its success – can be hard to duplicate in home kitchens. A home adapted recipe follows that is oven baked and very close to the original.

Serves 10-12 as a side dish

• 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups corn masa harina*
• 1/3 cup ice water
• 4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels (about 1 lb. frozen)
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Place Crisco and butter in a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
• Add corn masa to butter mixture and mix for 2 minutes or until thoroughly incorporated. Add the ice water and mix at medium for 1 minute or until completely absorbed.
• Place the corn kernels in a processor work bowl with the metal blade. Pulse on and off until mixture is coarsely chopped. Set aside.
• Combine the corn meal, sugar, heavy cream, baking powder and salt in a large 4-quart mixing bowl.
• Add the masa mixture and the ground corn to the corn meal/sugar mixture. Stir to combine thoroughly.
• Pour the batter into a prepared pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil to retain the steam, and bake for 45 minutes at 375°.
  *Note on Masa Harina: you can purchase Masa Harina, dried corn that has been ground and treated, at most markets. It is the basic ingredient used in making tamale dough (also called masa).