Sweet Fresh Corn Cake. Scoop or Loaf. Both Vegan.

It was that sweet spoonable corn cake that always got me....
...You must click ahead for the full story and two nostalgic, vegan, sweet corn cake recipes...



I'll confess! I had a childhood adoration for those cheesy chain Mexican restaurants. The fake husked palapa or terra cotta tiled roof, the Mariachi band trolling the tables, the all-you-can-eat warm chips and salsa. It was family fun with Mexican flair. And it didn't hurt that my family's favorite location overlooked the deep blue Monterey Bay on Cannery Row.

Table with a View. Swimming sea otters, lazy brown seals and swooping seagulls-right outside the large glass windows. But what really drove my love of this place was not the picture perfect setting, but that darn sweet corn cake they'd serve on the side of my sizzling hot plate of Mexican food.

Corn Cake Ingredients? Unfortunately, the restaurant version of the super sweet and creamy corn cake was probably laden with butter, sugar and who knows what else. But to a kids palate, it was heaven in a scoop. Better than ice cream. Well almost...

Corn Cake 2010. I love corn bread and corn cakes. But I wanted to get that same fresh sweet corn, buttery flavor without all the actual butter and refined sugar. These two recipes achieve the sweet flavor of fresh corn (because I use fresh corn) and even get that sweet moist scoop-able flavor with a spicy Mexican twist. Unlike my childhood corn cake, these are vegan, made with all natural ingredients and don't require that you sit through five rounds of Mariachi singing "La Bamba" or "Amor Mio". OK, that last point I'll kinda miss.

Masa Harina Flour. It's not corn meal. And it's a must for this recipe. It's Masa Harina. The same corn based flour that is used to make corn tortillas. Its fine milled and makes for that moist corn cake bliss.

Here are the recipes...

Corn Cake #1: Scoop-able. Spoonable. A super moist corn cake that you can, if desired actually scoop onto a plate. Holds up for a loaf slice, but very heavy from the high liquid level in the cake. Rich. Not crumbly.
Corn Cake #2: Loafed Bread. Same flavors, only less sweet moist texture. A bit crumbly due to the higher amount of corn meal and whole corn and less liquid. Spicier due to serrano pepper. Able to slice into squares or loaf slices.
*For both recipes, to lower fat content, replace part of coconut milk with soy milk. You can also add more soy milk for a lighter version of each cake. As is, these recipes make delicious, rich and dense versions of each corn cake recipe.

Corn Cake #1
Sweet Fresh Corn Cake, Spoonable
vegan

2 large ears of corn, kernels removed
1 ⅔ cups masa harina
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoon corn meal
4 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
1 tablespoon vegan sour cream
½ cup natural dry sugar
⅓ cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup diced bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Topping: 1 tablespoon buttery spread and 1 tablespoon natural dry sugar.
Optional: Diced Jalapeno, peppers or another ingredient to add spiciness.

Directions:
Pulse ¾ of the corn kernels with 4 tablespoon of buttery spread in a food processor.
Keep a few corn kernels whole.
Pour pulsed corn into a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add the masa harina, corn meal, salt, pepper, baking powder and soda, and dry sugar.
Mix well with fork.
Add in the coconut milk, sour cream, agave syrup and vinegar.
Fold in the remaining whole corn kernels.
Mix well until all flour and clumps are dissolved. Batter should be fairly thin.
Pour into a loaf or cake pan.
Top with a tablespoon of melted butter spread, a dash of salt and a sprinkle of dry sugar.
Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Bake in cake pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
To serve: scoop with an ice cream scoop or spoon.
Slicing will work as well, though the slices will be very delicate and heavy.

Corn Cake #2
Sweet Fresh Corn Cake, Loaf
vegan

3 large ears of corn, kernels removed
1 ¼ cups masa harina
⅔ cup corn meal
5 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
3 tablespoon vegan sour cream
¼ cup natural dry sugar
¼ cup agave syrup
¼ cup coconut milk or soy creamer
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 serrano pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup diced bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon white vinegar
Topping: 1 tablespoon buttery spread, 1 tablespoon whole corn kernals, 1 teaspoon sugar.

Directions:
Pulse ¾ of the corn kernals with 5 tablespoon of buttery spread in a food processor.
Keep the remaining corn kernals whole.
Pour pulsed corn mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Gradually add the masa harina, corn meal, salt, pepper, baking powder and soda, and dry sugar.
Mix well with fork.
Add in the coconut milk, sour cream, agave syrup and vinegar.
Fold in the remaining whole corn kernals, diced bell pepper and chopped serrano pepper.
Mix well until all flour and clumps are dissolved.
Fold in the remaining whole corn kernals, diced bell pepper and chopped serrano pepper.
Pour into a loaf or cake pan.
Top with a tablespoon of melted butter spread, a dash of salt and a sprinkle of dry sugar.
Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Bake in cake pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
To serve: slice into squares or loaf slices. Spooning bread will work-bread will be a crumbly scoop.

Fresh corn Questions: Note: Use fresh corn! You may be tempted to use canned corn. I can assure you that the flavor will not be the same. However, if needed you can used frozen or canned whole corn. Just be sure to account for any excess moisture and tweak the recipe ingredients a bit. Canned corn will require less coconut milk. Frozen corn should be about the same as fresh, perhaps use a bit less liquid though.