Pan de Elote, or Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, is a moist and delicious treat. Very different from the American cornbread that we all know and love.
Save room for this yummy dessert. You will even want seconds.
Or have it for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. There’s no wrong way to eat this classic and authentic Mexican recipe.
This is ain’t Southern cornbread, ya’ll.
This is from waaaaaaay down south.
In fact, each time I see this delicious Pan de Elote, or Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, I think of my days living of in Southern Mexico.
There was a lady at the Mercado Pino Suarez in Villahermosa, Tabasco who would sell it.
She used to tell me that I looked like her daughter. Her daughter must be a looker! LOL.
From savory to sweet, we have a lot of dishes that involve corn in Mexico.
Think masa for tamales or the dough to make gorditas.
They all have corn as part of the main ingredient.
Have you ever had corn fresh off the cob? It is so super sweet. It often doesn’t need to be cooked.
Table of Contents
How to Make Pan de Elote
Pan de Elote, or Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, is soooo yummy!
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In Spanish, “pan” means “bread.”
But, Pan de Elote recipes is not as dense.
Many people refer to it as “pastel,” or “cake.” You will also hear it referred to as “Pastel de Elote.”
The confusion comes from the texture. It’s very moist like what Americans think cake should be.
See all the wet ingredients we use to make it? Wetter is better.
Please know that the one in the picture only had 1 tablespoon of baking powder. I also baked it differently. (More on that later…)
Baking powder will make your Pastel de Elote poofier which is the way you will most likely find it.
The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons since that’s the way most people like it.
Another thing to note: my Pan de Elote recipe calls for evaporated milk. If you don’t have any, substitute for regular milk.
Half and half is ok, but I would not recommend using heavy whipping cream.
I also used light sweetened condensed milk. It is just as sweet.
Regular sweetened condensed milk is fine too.
I have often been accused of being a little corny. No, I didn’t major in “corn-ography” in college. 😉
Although, this is a corn-ographic picture.
To make your Pan de Elote, or Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, you need white corn.
The fresher, the better.
How to Choose Fresh Corn
Squeeze the kernels through the husk.
They should be plump.
If you feel any holes, choose another corn.
Look at the hair tassels on top. They should be brown. If they are dry and black, this is an old corn.
I will also pull back just a bit of the husk to see the inside. I look for no missing any corn kernels.
They should look round, bright, and firm.
What if corn is not in season?
If corn is not in season, you can use drained and rinsed canned corn.
Some traditionalists are frowning at me right now. Mexico is a poor country. Fresh foods can be hard to find.
However, I find frozen corn to be the easiest to use. It is not that messy. There is minimal clean up. And you can always find it at the grocery store.
Frozen corn is frozen when it is ripe and in season. Unless it was not stored properly, frozen corn is a good option.
White corn can be hard to find especially if it’s not in season. So, I am using yellow corn instead.
Remember: white is right, but yellow is mellow.
All the ingredients go into the blender. Yes, you read that right.
We use our blender for just about everything in Mexico. lol.
Some people also use pancake mix. I have never tried it using pancake mix, but I’m dying to try it out.
Next time for sure!
I baked my Pan de Elote differently.
Similar to the way that Americans make cornbread. I wanted to see what the outcome would be, and it came out great!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I made this yummy Pan de Elote in a cast iron skillet kick.
Love that you can put it in the oven, bake it, and take it from oven to table.
Saves me time in the serving and how many dishes I have to clean.
Also, since I’m using a large skillet, it didn’t rise as much. Again, I’m ok with that.
If you use a smaller and traditional baking pan, the finished product will rise more. Also, make sure to add 2 tablespoons baking powder to get that poof-like, cake-like rise.
You can also make this recipe in a muffin tin for individual pieces.
This is a great idea for guests or if you have little ones.
Or, make Pan de Elote for a party and bake it in a bundt pan.
How long does Pan de Elote last?
At room temperature, Pan de Elote last 1-2 days, but it has to be properly stored.
Either wrap it in plastic cling wrap or place in a sealable bag.
In the fridge, if properly stored, it will last up to 1 week.
In the freezer, properly stored Pan de Elote will last up to 3 months.
This is a great treat to take to someone’s house.
Cornbread in the United States is often something you eat with your dinner. Like chili and cornbread.
Pan de Elote, however, is more of a dessert or something to eat at breakfast like a muffin.
You might see someone selling it on the street, or you might see it at a local bakery.
I love to eat it warm and with a dab of butter… Mmmmm!
Some people will drizzle it with sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, or honey.
You can also let it cool down and serve it cold.
With coffee in the morning or with a cup of thick and rich champurrado, this Pan de Elote, or Mexican Sweet Corn Cake, is delicious.
Hope you enjoy!
Pan de Elote (Mexican Sweet Corn Cake)
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter divided
- 1¾ cups of flour + 2 tablespoons flour divided
- 5 eggs
- 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 6 cups of corn or 8 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Butter the pan.
- Flour the pan using 2 tablespoons flour.
- Add remaining butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla, and half the corn to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add the remaining corn and blend.
- For more corn texture, blend slightly.
- For less corn texture, blend until smooth.
- In a bowl, add 1¾ cups of flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Stir to combine.
- Mix the corn mixture with the dry ingredients.
- Stir until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
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I’ve never heard of sweet corn cake – this is something I must try!
Please do! You will love it.
Hi Maggie:
The picture of ingredients has vanilla in it but you don’t list it as an ingredient in the recipe. If I add vanilla, how much do you suggest I add to it?
Thank you, this recipe looks great!
You’re the first to point it out to me. I went back and checked my recipe notebook. You only need 1 tablespoon vanilla. I’ll adjust the recipe. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much! I am making it for my mom tonight! I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Hope you and your mom like it!
I found some Pan De Elote in a small supermarket the other day and thought it was regular cornbread. Only when I got home and cut into it did I realize, this is something different. Warmed it up in the micro, the added a dab of butter, and drizzled it with honey. OMG, I fell in love with it!
Going to try your recipe out soon. From the pics, yours looks like it’ll be fantastic as well. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
It’s delicious . Hope you try this recipe I think you will love it!
Hi Maggie, so I plan on making this pan de elote with frozen corn. Do I thaw and rinse or straight out of the freezer ??
Hi Lourdes. I’m sorry. Just saw this now. I made it with frozen corn. I didn’t thaw. I didn’t rinse. What did you end up using? How did it turn out?
So I just made right now and it turned out delicious. I ended up just using frozen corn straight out of the freezer. I was afraid it was too much baking powder and I thought maybe it was a typo, but decided to just follow directions ? glad I did, it was just right ?. I definitely will make it again. You are 2-0. I first made your birria de res and continue to make it, turns out delicious and now this is another one I will continue to make. Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes ?.
I’ve never had cornbread like this but this looks absolutely delicious and sounds so good!
Humm this looks yummy and tasty. I never tasted any Mexican meal, would love to try this
That looks like a really tasty cake – would love to try it
This sounds sooooo good! I’ve never seen anyone make elote cake before but this has me interested!
Yum this recipe looks so good. We love Mexican food.
Wow, I have never tried to this recipe looks really delicious and easy. I will try to make this for my kids, thanks for sharing!
I’ve made corn bread, but not this version! Looks amazing; I’m going to give it a try!
This one looks so new to me, but one that I can make over the weekend. Thanks for sharing with us.
I have recently made a Mexican cake which was called tres leches, and it turned out so delicious! So now I’m hooked on Mexican desserts. This sweet corn cake sounds so good, I might make it next.
Ohhh YUM! Mexican Sweet Corn Cake sounds so good! Can’t wait to try it!
I’ve never tried this before but it looks and sounds so good! I’ll definitely have to give it a go, just to try it for myself.
One of my ex boyfriends was Mexican and his mom made the best pan de elote! I miss it so much!
This recipe sounds amazing – and really easy to follow too! I will have to give it a whirl x
This cake killed me!!! OMG sooooo delicious! I am definitely trying it this weekend. Thank you so so much.
Chad
http://www.mosaicslab.com
Lol. Glad you like it. Pan de Elote is SOOOO good! Enjoy.
Oh wow. I’ve never heard of this before. It’s almost like a sweet bread!
Pan de Elote is very sweet. In the morning with some coffee, it’s perfect for breakfast.
Hhhmmm I’ve never had a mexican dessert before. Maybe I’ll try this one cause it does look good.
Really?! Well, then you should definitely try this recipe for Pan de Elote.