Other Mexican food chains such as Chi-Chi’s and El Torito call it “Sweet Corn Cake.” But at Chevy‘s, the corn-filled,
pudding-like stuff that’s served with most entrees is known as “Tomalito:’ That masa harina in there (corn flour) is what’s used to make tamales, and it can be found in your supermarket either with the corn meal and flour, or wherever the other Mexican/Spanish items are stocked. Everything else here is basic stuff. While other corn cake recipes may require canned corn or canned cream-style corn, Chevys’ “no cans in the kitchen” commandment
requires that we use frozen corn for a proper clone. Of course, you may also use corn that’s been cut fresh from the cob, if you’re up for the task.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups frozen corn, thawed
- ⅓ cup butter, softened (⅔ stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup masa harina
- ½ cup corn meal
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cream softened butter together with sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add milk and masa and mix well.
- Use a blender or food processor to puree 2 cups of corn until smooth. Add pureed corn to butter/masa mixture and mix well. Add corn meal, baking powder, salt, and remaining corn and mix until combined.
- Pour mixture into an ungreased 8×8-inch baking pan. Cover with foil and place it into a 9x 13-inch baking pan. Add hot water to the larger baking pan until it’s about ⅓ full. Bake for 1½ to 2 hours or until corn cake is firm in the center. Let it sit covered for 10 minutes before serving. To serve, scoop out ½ cup portions with a large spoon.
