Chef Lupita
Alegrías de Amaranto de Tulyehualco
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Pastel de Elote de Tepoztlan
Created by
Morelos gives you pastel de elote from Tepoztlan, a dense fresh-corn cake baked until golden at the edges and custardy in the center. Not American cornbread. Learn the difference.
Desserts
Mexican
Comfort Food
Potluck
25 min
Active Time
50 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield10 to 12 servings
Morelos, the central highlands around Tepoztlan, is where this pastel de elote belongs. You see it in market stalls near the plaza, cut into thick squares, golden on top, soft inside, made from fresh tender corn while the kernels still have milk in them.
This is not cornbread. Do not bring me cornmeal and call it the same thing. Pastel de elote uses fresh elote tierno scraped from the cob, blended just enough to break the kernels, then held together with eggs, butter, milk, and a little queso fresco. The corn is the structure. The corn is the flavor. If the ears are old and starchy, make esquites instead and wait for better corn.
I learned this version from a woman in the Tepoztlan market who sold it wrapped in paper, still warm from a dented aluminum pan. She told me, 'No lo hagas seco.' Don't make it dry. That is the whole lesson. Bake it until the edges brown and the center trembles slightly. Let it rest. Cut it when it has settled. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.
Pastel de elote descends from Mexico's long pre-Columbian corn cooking tradition, but its cake form reflects colonial-era baking, when wheat ovens, dairy, eggs, and sugar entered central Mexican kitchens. In Morelos, especially around Tepoztlan and Cuernavaca, the dish became a market and home-kitchen sweet built around fresh tender corn rather than dried nixtamalized masa. Regional versions differ sharply: some northern cooks make it richer with condensed milk, while central Mexican versions often keep the texture more custardy and let the fresh elote carry the dish.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh tender white corn
Quantity
6 large ears, about 5 cups kernels
husked, kernels cut from the cob
large eggs
Quantity
4
sweetened condensed milk
Quantity
1 cup
whole milk
Quantity
1/2 cup
unsalted butter
Quantity
6 tablespoons, plus more for the pan
melted and cooled slightly
queso fresco
Quantity
1/2 cup
finely crumbled
granulated sugar
Quantity
1/2 cup
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1/2 cup
baking powder
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Mexican vanilla extract
Quantity
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
coarse sugar (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for the top
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh tender white cornhusked, kernels cut from the cob | 6 large ears, about 5 cups kernels |
| large eggs | 4 |
| sweetened condensed milk | 1 cup |
| whole milk | 1/2 cup |
| unsalted buttermelted and cooled slightly | 6 tablespoons, plus more for the pan |
| queso frescofinely crumbled | 1/2 cup |
| granulated sugar | 1/2 cup |
| all-purpose flour | 1/2 cup |
| baking powder | 1 tablespoon |
| Mexican vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| coarse sugar (optional)for the top | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Sharp knife for cutting fresh corn from the cob
- •Blender
- •9-inch square baking pan or 10-inch clay cazuela made for baking
- •Mixing bowl and rubber spatula
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the pan
Heat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or a 10-inch round clay cazuela made for baking. Line the bottom with parchment if using a metal pan. Do not use a shallow sheet pan. This cake needs depth so the center stays moist.
- 2
Cut the corn
Stand each ear of corn upright in a wide bowl and cut the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Scrape the cob with the back of the knife to catch the milky liquid. That liquid matters. It is where the fresh corn flavor lives, and this is why cornmeal cannot do the same work.
- 3
Blend the batter
Put the corn kernels and their liquid in a blender with the eggs, condensed milk, whole milk, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Blend in pulses until the batter is thick and mostly smooth but still has tiny bits of corn. Do not make it thin like atole. Pastel de elote should have body.
If your blender is small, work in two batches. Add half the milk to each batch so the blades can move. No me vengas con atajos that leave whole kernels floating in egg. - 4
Fold in dry ingredients
Pour the blended mixture into a bowl. Whisk the flour and baking powder together, then fold them into the batter. Fold in the crumbled queso fresco last. The flour gives just enough structure. The queso fresco gives small salty pockets that keep the cake from tasting flat.
- 5
Bake until set
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if using. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden, the edges pull slightly from the pan, and the center still has a gentle wobble when you nudge it. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, not dry. Dry pastel de elote is poor judgment in cake form.
- 6
Rest and cut
Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes. This is not wasted time. The custard settles, the corn starches finish holding, and the slices cut cleanly. Serve warm or at room temperature, in thick squares, with cafe de olla or a plain glass of milk.
Chef Tips
- •Use fresh tender corn in season. The kernels should burst with milk when you press one between your fingers. If the corn is dry, old, or shipped from too far away, the cake will taste tired. Preguntale a las senoras del mercado.
- •White corn is the Morelos choice. Yellow sweet corn works outside Mexico, but it makes a sweeter, less earthy cake. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
- •The queso fresco is not decoration. It gives salt and small soft pockets through the cake. Use real queso fresco, not feta, not aged cotija.
- •This dish has no chile. Not all Mexican food is chile and lime. This is a 32-state cuisine, and central Mexico knows what to do with corn in a dessert.
Advance Preparation
- •Pastel de elote can be baked one day ahead. Cool completely, cover, and keep at room temperature if your kitchen is cool, or refrigerate in warm weather.
- •Reheat slices in a low oven at 300F for 10 minutes, or serve at room temperature. Do not microwave it until rubbery.
- •The batter should be baked right after mixing. Fresh corn releases liquid as it sits, and the texture suffers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 140g)
Calories
325 calories
Total Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
5 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
360 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
32 g
Protein
9 g
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