Bolo de Milho (corn cake) is an exceptionally popular and beloved dessert in Brazil. Unlike cornbread, it’s quite sweet and pairs very well with coffee and tea. In São Paulo it is common to see people selling slices of bolo de milho and cups of coffee to morning commuters. The cake uses coconut, and with a little adjusting to what flour you use to flour the pan, it can easily be made gluten-free.
Olivia Mesquita, a Brazilian based in the US, runs a delightful cookery blog, Olivia’s Cuisine (her cookbook is also well worth a purchase). She has a fantastic recipe for bolo de milho, which I will share below
Here are the ingredients (all metric measurements are approximate):
- 2 1/2 cups (590 ml) corn kernels, approximately 3 ears; can be fresh or frozen
- 1 cup (235 ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk
- 2 cups (264 g) cornmeal
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) sunflower oil (canola oil works as well)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (85 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) baking powder
- Flour of your choice (can be wheat or a gluten-free substitute) for flouring the cake pan
Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 350F/175 C and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Butter and flour a 10-inch/25cm angel food cake pan. Set aside.
- Combine the corn kernels and the milk in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the coconut milk, cornmeal, sugar, oil, eggs, coconut and salt. Pulse until combined.
- Add the baking powder and pulse one or two times, just to incorporate into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and immediately run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it. Let it cool slightly, about 20 minutes, then turn the cake onto a cooling rack and wait until it’s warm but not hot.
Notes:
- In Brazil, it is rare to find cake recipes that use a stand mixer. Most cake batters are prepared with blenders. Depending on your blender size, don’t worry if you have to make two or three batches of cake batter. Divide the ingredient portions accordingly if that is the case.
- Because of the oil, the cake does not dry out quickly and keeps well in both the fridge and the freezer.
Have a great day, afternoon, evening, ‘cados!