Torta de Elotes (Corn Torte) Recipe

By
María del Mar Cuadra
A headshot of Maria del Mar Cuadra, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
María del Mar Cuadra
María del Mar Cuadra is a food stylist, recipe developer, and art director. She has written three cookbooks and worked for America's Test Kitchen.
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Updated August 30, 2018
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So corny. . María del Mar Sacasa

Notes:

This recipe can be halved. If doing so, bake it in an 8- by 8-inch dish.

Queso duro (literally, "hard cheese") is a firm, crumbly, salty, cow's milk cheese eaten in several Latin American countries. Variations exist from country to country, but the overall characteristics are the same. This cheese can be found in the specialty cheese section of most supermarkets. Should you not be able to find queso duro, substitute haloumi, a Cypriot cheese made with goat's and/or sheep's milk.

I love the sweet and tangy flavor of Latin American crema, but crème fraîche or sour cream are acceptable substitutions.

Recipe Details

Torta de Elotes (Corn Torte) Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 2 hrs 20 mins
Serves 12 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • Baking spray

  • 8 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed

  • 2 (29-ounce) cans hominy, drained

  • 2/3 cup crema or sour cream

  • 12 ounces queso duro or haloumi, finely grated (see Notes)

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 4 large eggs, beaten

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13- by 9-inch baking dish with baking spray.

  2. Cut each cob in half crosswise. Stand the cob upright, resting the cut end on a cutting board, pie plate, or large shallow mixing bowl. With a chef’s knife, cut the kernels off, rotating the cob as you go. Discard the cob. Repeat with remaining cobs.

  3. Pulse corn in food processor until it turns to pulp—if you have a small food processor, do this in two batches—and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Pulse hominy in food processor until it turns into a smooth paste and add it to the corn pulp.

  4. Stir together corn and hominy, then add crema, cheese, sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder, and salt; stir until thoroughly combined.

  5. Scrape batter into prepared baking dish. Bake until torta is set and the sides pull away slightly from the baking dish, 60 to 75 minutes. Cool torta in pan set on cooling rack, about 1 hour. Torta may be served warm or at room temperature.

Special Equipment

13- by 9-inch baking dish, food processor, cooling rack

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
326 Calories
17g Fat
34g Carbs
12g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 326
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g 22%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 106mg 35%
Sodium 838mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 220mg 17%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 184mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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