Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes (a replica of the Cheese Cake Factory)

Photo by Holli Coats

Thank you all for voting! Out of 45 votes, 15 of you (or 33%) voted for the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes for the win! It was a close race and it pulled ahead of the Chicken Piccata in the last minute. I have been wanting to make these for a long time now, but laziness had gotten the best of me.


If we are going to the Cheese Cake Factory it is guaranteed that I will order them every time. It is just one of those things that is unique. I have never had anything like it. If you have never had these they are in the appetizer section. Normally Holli and I will order this and split an entree, because seriously who really needs all of the food they give you?




I wanted to make at least the sauces for this a day before, but Saturday kind of got tied up in Holli's super secret fun project. Salsas and sauces often taste better after the ingredients have time to mix and mingle. There are four components to this dish that take preperation: the sweet corn cakes, the pico de gallo, the tomatillo sauce, and the southwestern sauce. None of them are very hard to make. It is mostly putting things in a blender. Even the corn cake dough can be made ahead and put in the fridge. This meal took a decent amount of chopping and blending and made a lot of dishes, but all in all it was very simple to make. I was very happy with how these turned out! It was pretty darn close to the original, and I can think of a ton of uses for the different sauces!


Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

Source

Ingredients 

Cakes

1 1/2 Cups frozen sweet corn

1/2 Cup butter, (1 stick) softened

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Cup corn masa (corn flour)

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

Tamale Cakes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop 1 cup of the frozen corn in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar, and salt. Blend well with electric mixer until smooth.

Add masa and flour and blend well. Mix in the remaining 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels by hand.

Measure 1/2 cup portions of the mixture and form it into 3-inch wide patties with your hands. arrange the patties on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the cakes are browned on the bottom.

Carefully turn all cakes with a spatula and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until second side is browned.

Salsa Verde:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor on high speed. Cover and chill.

Pico de gallo:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Southwestern Sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.

Top cakes with pico de gallo, sour cream and avocado. Drizzle with tomatillo salsa and southwestern sauce. Garnish with cilantro.

Salsa Verde

2 tomatillos, chopped (remove papery skin)

1 Can mild green chilies, (4 ounce)

1 green onion

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro

1 1/4 Teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 Teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/8 Teaspoon ground black pepper

Southwestern Sauce

1/2 Cup mayonnaise

1 Teaspoon white vinegar

1 Teaspoon water

3/4 Teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 Teaspoon chili powder

1/4 Teaspoon paprika

1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 Teaspoon onion powder

1 Dash salt

1 Dash garlic powder

Pico de Gallo

1 Medium tomato, minced

1 Tablespoon minced Spanish onion

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

1/4 Teaspoon lime juice

1/2 Small fresh jalapeno, minced

1 Dash salt

1 Dash ground black pepper

Garnish

1/4 Cup sour cream

1/2 avocado, chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped.