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Happy Presidents’ Day, everyone!
In honor of our president, I’d like to present a recipe for Mexican food.
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These Mexican Corn Cakes are unpretentious, delicious savory pancakes that would make a great side for anything saucy or creamy – from a hearty chili, to guacamole or sliced avocado, to just about any saucy taco filling. Or, use two cakes[1] to make a refried bean sandwich, and top the thing with a generous amount of an exotic salsa, maybe a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with a few chopped black olives. Or poached eggs, roasted red pepper, and hot sauce! If you love corn tortillas, you’ll love these cakes. They’re crispy and crunchy on the outside, and very corn-tortillaesque on the inside. They’re loads more filling that corn tortillas and have that popcornovian taste from a few of the kernels getting caramelized and chewy. Watch out; they’re addictive.
This is a 
(4 / 5) Martha Stewart recipe to which I’ve added my own notes. It’s not the quad toe + triple toe loop that’s going to guarantee you a spot on the podium. It’s more of a waltz step, but it’s a clean one, perfectly executed, with high marks for artistic merit.
Ingredients for 8 cakes, serving 4-8
5 oz. (1½ cups) masa harina
2.5 oz. (½ cup) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp coarse salt, plus more (optionally) for sprinkling
1.75 oz. (½ cup) grated cotija cheese
10-12 oz. (2+ cups) coarsely chopped fresh or frozen corn kernels
¾ to 1 cup warm water (110ºF)
4 to 6 Tbs vegetable oil, for frying
How To Do It:
- Whisk together masa harina, flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cheese and corn kernels. Add water, ¼-cup at a time, mixing with your hands after each addition until mixture holds together.
- Heat ¼-cup oil in a cold cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop a heaping ⅓-cup mixture, and shape into a patty, about ⅓-inch thick. Repeat with remaining mixture, forming 8 patties.
- Working in batches of 4, fry patties, turning once, until golden brown, 4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels (and immediately sprinkle with salt). If pan becomes dry, add 2 Tbs oil for second batch. Cover patties with foil to keep warm, up to 30 minutes.
Notes:
- What you’re doing with these cakes will determine if you consider one (if they’re merely a side to or a component of something substantial) or two of them (if they’re the star of the dish) to be a serving.
- If your stove is uneven, and the oil in your pan runs toward one side of the pan, fix your stove. It should be a kind-of easy fix. If you’re just not going to do that, though, then rotate your pan halfway through each side of the cakes’ cooking.
- In between batches, you really do have to check the oil level. These cakes need to be fried in a decent amount of oil, not just merely in an oiled pan, or you won’t get the color you’re looking for no matter how much you fry them.
- I could imagine replacing the water with milk, or replacing part of the water with cream. I could also imagine adding a bit of melted butter to the batter.
- Masa harina is not cornmeal. You can’t swap one for the other and expect things to work out.
This is a great way to use up the rest of the corn flour you may have bought to make corn tortillas. Using these cakes as a base is also a great way to stretch a single serving of leftover chili (or whatever) into several servings of a new meal. My favorite way to eat them is simple: a spritz of hot sauce and a big dollop of plain, Greek yogurt. They reheat not perfectly, but well enough.
Mexican Corn Cakes
[1] or one cake, sliced carefully in half horizontally
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. I hope you’ve been watching the Olympics. It reminds you of everything that’s right in the world. Except that Russia was banned, but somehow Russian athletes weren’t. And with the other exception that our coverage was overshadowed by the 18th school shooting this year – and may I remind you that “this year” isn’t even two full months old yet. And somehow this is OK with enough well-placed people that nothing – nothing – will change. This horror is really brought home when you then flick back to Olympic coverage, and realize that of all the countries represented there, we are the only one experiencing this problem to this degree. And then you hear people saying that more guns is the answer, and you wonder who wants to live in a country where “more guns” is the answer? But I digress. I hope you saw the South and North Korean athletes co-carry the torch and found yourself thinking that a better world is possible. I hope you watched the look on Ester Ledecka’s face when she won the super-G and found yourself remembering when life was that astonishing. I hope you saw Chris Mazdzer take silver in luge wished to have that kind of faith in yourself. I also hope you saw the cross-country skiers – including the gold medal winner – as they waited at the finish line to congratulate the guy who came in last, and thought, “I need to be that gracious.” I hope you saw Nathan Chen make a comeback with six quads after having his failures broadcast worldwide, and realized that need you to let go of the stuff that’s holding you back and instead focus on kicking tomorrow’s ass. And I also hope you saw teddy bears rain down on Yuzuru Hanyu, because … well, just because.
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I used to make and eat corn cakes very often, but somehow my stomach can’t digest them properly…still love them a lot, but can no longer eat as many and often as I want to. These look fabulous!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted…Coconut Green Tea Tart – Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free
Oh, too bad! Did you use milk in them? I was considering doing so. I could imagine that might make them more difficult on some people’s stomachs. Although corn itself doesn’t fully break down in our systems, so who knows?
These look like a great snack!
You know, I thought they were good initially , but then I found myself going back to the fridge (where I’d parked the leftovers) and reheating one, and then another, and then another. There’s something very comfort foodie about them. They’re more than good.
Yes! I’m so glad we had a President’s Day…without it, these Mexican Corn Cakes wouldn’t have come into being. 🙂 Also, I have a whole bunch of masa harina in the pantry, and I don’t know what else to do with it…until now. I’m thinking these would be delicious to nosh on while watching Olympics. Speaking of Olympics, I’m saddened that curling did not make your list. I mean the US beating Canada in men’s curling is enough. Or how the entire country of Canada called out their women’s team after they failed to follow the ‘polite rules’ of the game. Either way, I’ll be sad when the games are over…because then I’ll have to start watching the news again.
David @ Spiced recently posted…Classic Chicken Parmesan
You’re absolutely right to call me out on my curling overlook! I’ve been thinking of you a lot during the games, though, because apparently, this year’s Olympics have prompted a bunch of local interest in curling. Wrigley Field – which is undergoing a huge renovation (not sure if that’s the right word) – opened a skating rink and is offering curling games and lessons. There’s a bar in one of the western neighborhoods that flooded their summer patio and is offering – or so I hear – opportunities to drink and play (which I’ve affectionately dubbed “curl ‘n’ hurl,” because the last thing you want to do to me after a few beers is push me out onto some ice).
You know, Jeff, I’m not one much for pancakes but these I will prepare, in honor of the president, of course. 🙂
All kidding aside, they do look good! Love the idea of serving them with chili. Yum!
Thanks, John!
Those cakes look great. Reminds me of street food in Nuevo Laredo. Alas, no Masa Harina here. We can mail order it, but it’s about US$25 per 2 pound bag. We do have regular corn flour, so I’ll give it a try using that and see how it turns out. Chili sounds like the way to go when munching down on these.
Ron recently posted…Semlor…the Swedish bun that killed a King.
I have an idea. Around here, I can find masa only in large bags. I – like many, I imagine – buy a big bag just to fill a little craving for corn tortillas, and then the rest of the masa just takes up space in the cupboard. I’m sure I could ship what’s left to you for less than $25, and in return you can send to me whatever’s left of your monthly kanelbullar ration!
You just might have a deal.
Jeff, I have a great kanelbullar recipe I can share with you if you like. It’s my 80+ earold Swedish mother-in-law’s family recipe. She still bakes them every week. Let me know if you would like a copy of the recipe.
Ron recently posted…Semlor…the Swedish bun that killed a King.
I’ve already seen the recipe on your site, if that’s the one you’re talking about. Have pinned it, in fact, and am looking forward to trying it!
What a great use for masa harina! I’ve got a half-used bag of it, and I need ideas for finishing it. Thanks! These look terrific — really good stuff. 🙂
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Asian-Spiced Chicken Noodle Soup
They’re a great way to use that stuff up.
Tamales and/or humitas are another good use for masa harina.
Cool. I’ll give them a try – I still have loads leftover.
Funny. I just love these. I’ve only made tortillas with masa harina. Good to know I can make something else!
Mimi recently posted…Greek Pork and Beans
Right? That’s exactly why I hunted them down and made them!
I had to google masa harina Jeff (sorry) but once I saw it was corn flour and I can get it on Amazon I pinned this recipe. Love it!
Yeah, I’m not Mexican food expert. I’ve read that masa and corn flour are and aren’t the same thing, but honestly, I have no idea. I would say if you could make corn tortillas with it, it’d work with these pancakes.
Haha. All I can say is thank christ that dickhead isn’t running this country. More importantly, these corn cakes need to be in my life right now. I may struggle to find cotija cheese in my part of the world, but I’m sure I can find a substitute.
John | heneedsfood recently posted…Bumming around Barcelona
Let me tell you, I think more lovingly about Canada every day. Australia is a bit far, but were I to make that trip, staying there a long, long time would be my preference. Maybe all of this will have blown over by then. Regarding the cojita, some people say Parmesan, and that might work. I’d say feta, though. However, I can’t imagine going wrong with just about any cheese in these cakes.
Thank you for my “word of the day”. I shall endeavor to use popcornovian in at least one sentence today. GREG
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Nice!
Nice! As a snack or even pair with a good cut of meat. I question though can I use corn starch instead of masa harina, they sound similar
Thanks! I don’t think corn starch would be a good substitute. It’s too refined, and it doesn’t taste like corn. Masa harina has an obvious corn flavor; the corn kernels enhance this flavor in these cakes, but they couldn’t carry the cakes on their own. You could substitute corn meal. You’d wind up with something more like a traditional pancake, but I’m sure it would be tasty.
These look great, what a wonderful alternative to cornbread (only because I would serve these gorgeous little cakes with the same food as I would cornbread!). I love that you used actual corn kernels in this recipe, I have some that I grilled late last fall and frozen in a ziplock bag and I think they would be amazing in these tasty morsels. I love that you made them in honour of president’s day, absolutely perfect.!
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Thanks!
I just made these with a pot of turkey chili. I had no cotija on hand, so I subbed queso duro. The cakes are very good, but I kept wishing I’d added some sugar, maybe because I associate chili with sweet cornbread. I have enough left over that I’ll be able to try them with different things though – I like the poached egg idea, and we eat Mexican all the time. They’d be a nice side with choriqueso, which is one of my new favorite things to make. These are like homemade tortillas but so much more substantial, thanks for the recipe.
Hey Dabney, thanks so much for the comments. I’m glad you enjoyed them. I agree with your comment on the sugar.
Don’t get me started on our Cheeto in Chief, but these corn cakes…. dang! I could devour these Jeff. Glad I stopped by today. 🙂
I didn’t think I’d devour them at first, but then I just couldn’t stop eating them!
i made these and cooked them in my sandwich press instead of frying with oil, they turned out great. I topped with avocado for my kids
What an interesting idea! Thanks for sharing it!
Was looking to use up a big bag of masa harina. Stumbled upon this recipe and we can’t stop making/eating them! My kids gobble them up faster than i can make them lol! Thank you for this, will be in our regular snack rotation!
I’m so glad! That’s exactly why I started making these, too, and I my family gobbled them up quickly, too!