A Mexican thanksgiving cake to bring two countries together

We live in Mexico and Thanksgiving is coming up, so I think it’s a terrific idea to infuse two cultures into one to create the perfect holiday dessert: A corn, rosemary cake topped by a honey buttercream. Not too sweet, not too savory but an ingenious blend of flavors and the perfect touch to end a sumptuous feast. 

Corn and its byproducts are a part of daily Mexican life, cultivated over thousands of years from teosinte, or the wild grass where it originated, to the modified maize that we know today. But the first domesticated maize dates to about 4280 BC, to the Guilá Naquitz Cave in Oaxaca. 

Maize was then not only valued as a food source but also a spiritual feast, with the ancient Nahuatl-speaking peoples referring to it as “our sustenance,” while the Mayans believed that it was the life force that created humans. It was so important to the culture, that as the cultivation spread across diverse landscapes and prospered, it contributed to the development of advanced Mexican civilizations including the Olmec; Maya; Teotihuacan; and the Mexica. 

Mexico today is home to 60+ varieties of corn and it’s used in tamales, tortillas, and pozole (a traditional Mexican soup or stew), which means maize is still “sustenance” when it comes to Mexican society. So why shouldn’t we use it in this remarkable cake along with some fresh rosemary and pure Mexican honey? 

And what can we say about Mexican honey? There’s nothing like the Melipona honey that comes from that stingless Yucatan bee. You must taste it to believe it, and what a perfect, sweet accompaniment it will make to our somewhat savory cake! So, let’s get baking! 

Rosemary Corn Cake with Brown-Butter Honey Buttercream Frosting

Make the Brown Butter for the Frosting First:

Brown-Butter for Honey-Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups (303 g) butter* (mantequilla)

* Best Mexican brands: Lala; Gloria; Alpura; Aguascalientes; Flor de Alfalfa.Directions:

* Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a large, stainless-steel frying pan. Swirl the butter in the pan every couple of minutes so it cooks evenly. Foam will appear on top of the butter, and it will change from a pale-yellow color to a dark, golden brown. Once the butter has darkened, take a whiff. It should have a nutty, toffee-like aroma.

* Remove butter from heat and let it cool. Once cool, pour into a small ceramic bowl lined with plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator, until it’s the consistency of “softened” butter.

* Make the cake while the butter softens in the fridge. 

Preheat oven to 350F (177C) 

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour*
• *Use only U.S. flour, which may be ordered online.
• 3/4 cup (115 g) cornmeal (harina de maíz)
• 2 tsp. (10 g) baking powder (polvo de hornear)
• 1 1/2 tsp. (10 g) baking soda (bicarbonato de sodio)
• 1 1/2 tsp. (9 g) salt (sal)
• 2 ¼ (225 g) Cups sugar (azúcar estandar)
• 6 eggs (huevos)
• 1 cup (130 g) extra-virgin olive oil (aceite de oliva virgen extra)
• 1/3 cup (83 g) apple cider* (sidra)
  • Apple cider can be found in supermarkets like La Comer; City Market; Soriana.
• 1 tbs. (13 g) vanilla extract* (extracto de vainilla)
  • Mexican brands noted for their intense flavor: Villa Vainilla; Vainilla Totonac; Molina Vainilla. 
• 1/4 Cup (7 g) fresh rosemary*, finely chopped (romero)

Preparation

In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended. Set aside. 

With an electric mixer, using paddle attachment, at medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until thick, about 1 minute

Add olive oil, cider, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. 

Add the dry ingredients to the batter in thirds until completely incorporated. Stir in rosemary. 

Evenly distribute the batter between 3 well-greased, lightly-floured 8-inch cake pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops of the cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 

Cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

While cakes cool, make honey simple syrup.

Honey Simple Syrup

•  ½ cup (170 g) honey (miel Malipona) or any pure Mexican honey.
• 1/3 cup (80 g) warm water
• 2 tbs. (30 grams) fresh lemon juice (zumo de limón)
• 1 tsp. (4 g) vanilla extract (extracto de vainilla)

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until honey is dissolved in the water and place in glass jar. NOTE: Store at room temperature until ready to use, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

When the cakes have cooled completely, brush the tops with a pastry brush or unused paint brush, with the honey simple syrup (2 TBS. each layer) and set aside.

Finish preparing the buttercream frosting:

Brown butter & honey buttercream frosting

• 1 1/3 Cups butter (303 g) *softened and in the fridge.
• 3 cups (390 g) powdered sugar (azúcar glas)
• 3 tbs. (63 g) honey (miel)

Using an electric mixer, on medium high speed, beat together the softened brown butter, powdered sugar, and honey to a smooth buttercream consistency (The little burnt brown-butter bits taste amazing and add a pretty speckling to the frosting). 

Layer and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream and serve.

Disfruta!

Deborah McCoy is the one-time author of mainstream, bridal-reference books who has turned her attention to food, particularly sweets, desserts and fruits. She is the founder of CakeChatter™ on FaceBook and X (Twitter), and the author of four baking books for “Dough Punchers” via CakeChatter (available @amazon.com). She is also the president of The American Academy of Wedding Professionals™ (aa-wp.com).