Baking with Blobby

I think we all know I'm not a baker, but now and then I do try........with varied results. And in order to NOT have another political post, I'm going with food.  Again:  eating my feelings. 

I got the recipe for Mexican Sweet Corn Cake from Milk Street Kitchen.

It was different enough, and easy enough (kind of) to make, so why not. And while it has condensed milk, there isn't any sugar per se (confectioners for topping the cake).

To be honest, Milk Street leaves me feeling cold. Christopher Kimball just seems passive-aggressive, creepy and condescending. I wasn't sorry when he left (or got canned) from America's Test Kitchen / Cook's Country. But his entire new show has zero heart or warmth. There is one Philapino guy I like, and that's it (and he's on once ever 8th or 9th show, if he's still on at all). 

Ingredients

3 medium ears fresh corn, preferably yellow, husked (of 1.5 cups of frozen corn)

36 grams ( 1/4 cup) fine yellow cornmeal 

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 

57 grams ( 1/4 cup) plain whole-milk yogurt 

179 grams (1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour 

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon table salt 

2 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks 

1/2 cup grapeseed or other neutral oil 

Powdered sugar, to serve 

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position. Mist a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. 

Using a chef's knife, cut the kernels from the ears of corn. Measure 250 grams (1 1/2 cups) kernels and add to a blender; if you have extra corn, reserve it for another use. 

To the blender, add the cornmeal, condensed milk and yogurt, then puree until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds, scraping down the blender as needed. Let stand for 10 minutes. 

The blender we have is the one 710 brought into the relationship. We've been together 40 years, so it's older than that, and it might be the last time I use it (though honestly putting $$$ into something we use 1-2 x/yr seems silly) 15-20 seconds on puree did NOTHING. It went to 'blend' for like 2 minutes to get smooth. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. 

To the blender, add the whole eggs and yolks, and the oil; blend on low until smooth, 5 to 10 seconds.

Pour the puree into a large bowl. 

Add the flour mixture and whisk just until evenly moistened and no lumps of flour remain. 

Transfer to the prepared cake pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. 

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. 

The cake on the show wasn't raised like mine came out. But it smells great (yes, I'm blogging real time as I cook and prep this). 

Run a paring knife around the pan to loosen the cake, then invert directly onto the rack and lift off the pan. Re-invert the cake onto a serving platter and cool completely, about 1 hour. 

Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

It looks pretty, right? 

....and it's not bad. It's even good. 

Kimball said it was the best cake he's ever eaten. I won't go that far. 

710 asked what kind of cake did I make as I was serving it to him, but I didn't say. Immediately he knew, when he tasted. 

He likened it to corn bread, and he's not wrong. If you took out the evaporated milk and the confectioner's sugar the only sweetness would be the corn itself. but then it would truly be corn bread. 

The cake is both light and dense at the same time, but it works. 

For folks who are looking for a less sweet dessert, this is kind of it. I'd say it might be better for a party or pot luck. As it stands, we have an entire cake to now eat between two of us.  It's good, but I wouldn't call it a traditional dessert either.