Sweet and Savory Corn Cakes

Written by Published on in Appetizers, Mexican, Vegetarian

Who says pancakes have to be for breakfast?

I made these little corn cakes topped with my  Tomatillo and Avocado Relish as an appetizer for a party. I also served them for dinner for my family and topped them with black beans and cheese. Sort of like a tostada but with a corn cake instead of a tortilla. Both versions were delicious!!

IMG_1262

IMG_1219

They were perfect little party food bites and they were a hit with my family at the dinner table. I think they would also be great served for breakfast or brunch topped with eggs and served with bacon. A little crumbled bacon thrown in the batter wouldn’t hurt at all either.

IMG_1255I used a mix of Masa (a Mexican corn flour found with the other flours), all purpose flour, and corn meal. They had a nice texture with that mix and the scallions and green chilies gave them great flavor. A touch of honey gives them just a little sweetness.

IMG_1207Topped with black beans, jack cheese, and the tomatillo and avocado relish, these were a perfect main coarse and my family loved them. 

IMG_1214

Sweet and Savory Corn Cakes

This makes about a dozen dinner sized cakes or about 30 appetizer cakes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup of all purpose flour
  • ½ cup masa harina
  • ½ cup corn meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½  teaspoon baking soda
  • ½  teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼  cups buttermilk
  • ¼  cup melted butter (1/2 stick)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablspoons honey
  • 8 scallions, trimmed, white and green portions thinly sliced
  • 1 ½ cups sweet corn (frozen is fine, just thaw first)
  • 2 green chilies (like Ortega canned green chilies) seeded and chopped small
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal,  masa harina, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Set aside.

2. Using a food processor, pulse the corn several times until it is coarsely chopped.

3. Combine the buttermilk, butter, egg, and honey in a second, smaller bowl, whisking together. Add the corn, scallions, and chilies and mix well.

 4. Using as few strokes as possible, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until the two are barely smoothed out.

5. Heat a non stick pan with about a tablespoon of oil. When it’s hot, ladle on the batter; using a ¼-cup ladle will yield about 12 good-size pancakes.

Optional Serving Idea:

Top warm corn cake with black beans, shredded cheese, and salsa of your choice. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro.

IMG_1212

Leave a Reply