Pamonha de Forno Doce -- A super moist, naturally gluten-free, creamy corn-coconut cake inspired by the traditional Brazilian sweet corn tamale.
The June Festivals in Brazil will be ending soon. On the upcoming 24th of June, we will be celebrating the Feast of St. John, and on the 29th, the Feast of St. Peter. This is why I am sharing with you this moist, naturally gluten-free, creamy corn cake or pamonha de forno -- which can be drizzled with sweetened condensed milk.
As promised in my last post about the June Festivals, our next and final recipe, pamonha de forno, is related to this festivity, which transformed me into an excited dancer of quadrilha (square dancing), its merry mock-bride, and also the June Festival Corn Princess, as you can see in the images below.
This corn cake is inspired by the traditional Pamonha treat. In contrast to the traditional Pamonha (pronounced pah-MOHN-ya) which is wrapped in fresh corn husks and then boiled, this modern version, pamonha de forno, is baked in a pan.
My recipe is based upon that of "Pamonha no Forno" from Dicas do Timoneiro, which has the best out of all the recipes for it. I personally am a big fan!
I hope you become one too...
Boas Festas Juninas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pamonha de Forno (Gluten-Free Creamy Corn Cake)
Equipment
- blender
- oven
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz sweet yellow corn canned or fresh, 300 g
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 3.4 fl. oz coconut milk 100 ml
- 0.9 oz parmesan cheese grated, 25 g
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz or 396 g
- 5.3 oz heavy cream 150 g
- 3.5 oz unsweetened shredded coconut 100 g
- Juice of ½ a lime
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F ( about 180º C).
- Grease and flour a rectangular bread loaf pan (9 x 5 x 2-½ inches or 22.9 x 12.7 x 6.4 cm). Reserve.
- ** A gluten-free all purpose baking flour can be used to flour the pan. Bob's Red Mill has a good one.
- In the blender, blend the corn, eggs, coconut milk, and Parmesan cheese well, until obtaining a smooth, lump-free mixture.
- Pour the blended mixture in a medium bowl and add the condensed milk, the heavy cream, coconut flakes, lime juice, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine all ingredients very well. Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool down a bit on a rack. When cake is warm, unmold carefully (I ran a knife around the edges of the cake in order to loosen). Serve pamonha de forno warm, at room temperature, or preferably chilled. It is great as a coffee cake.This pamonha de forno can be served with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk on top.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Jacquelyn says
Hello! I think I'm going to try this for my Brazilian boyfriend, but I know he likes the Pamonha with cheese in it. Can you add cheese to this recipe and if so, which kind would work best?
Denise Browning says
Hi, Jacquelyn! Although this is a sweet pamonha cake, you can certainly adapt the recipe. For that, add about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of small cubed part-skim mozzarella cheese to the recipe plus extra 0.9 oz (25 g) of Grated Parmesan cheese and a good pinch of salt. Reduce the amount of sugar from 1/4 cup to 2 tablespoons. In addition, please omit the coconut flakes from the recipe. Thanks for stopping by.
Jacquelyn says
Thanks so much! That makes sense about the sugar and coconut - thanks for the info, can't wait to try it!
Denise Browning says
We're welcome, Jacquelyn! Please, let me know how this almost savory version turned out.
Jacquelyn says
hello! The 'savory' version turned out great! My boyfriend said it tasted better than the real thing. I thought it was still a bit too sweet (probably from the condensed milk?) but still liked it a lot! The outside of the bread got a bit hard and brown, and the cheese settled down to the bottom but I scraped that layer off and it worked out 🙂
Denise Browning says
Jacquelyn: I am glad that both you and your boyfriend had liked the pamonha cake. As I told you at that time, the original recipe is sweet (it is a Northeartern pamonha cake) although I had tried to cut down its sweetness as much as I could and pass to you. I did not want to substitute milk or coconut milk for the condensed milk because they are thinner than condensed milk and I did not know how it would work without testing it first. I intend to make a savory version of pamonha (with cheese and sausage) soon. So you can try the real savory version. In the future, I'd like that you try both versions: the original sweet pamonha cake (with coconut flakes and without cheese) and this next savory version to compare which one you guys like the most. Although I enjoy pamonha and also its cake both sweet and savory, I do prefer the sweet pamonha cake since I am from Northeastern Brazil and grew up eating sweet pamonha. Have a great week!
Carlos Figueira says
That was a great recipe. I just prepared it, and even though I forgot one ingredient :-p, everyone loved it. Thanks for posting!
Denise Browning says
Thanks so much, Carlos! I am so glad that everyone liked it. This is my favorite corn cake. Tastewise, it reminds so much the original pamonha. I hope you can visit us more times for more recipes as well as your friends. Have a great day!!!! xx
Ferreteria en Linea says
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Denise Browning says
Thanks!
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Corn and coconut combination? That's something new and I've never tried before. I love coconut flakes or anything coconut actually. This cake looks delicious!!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Nami! I love this cake. It is actually one of my favorite cakes because its creamy texture and also its comforting taste. In Brazil, the combination of coconut and corn together is popular. Thanks for visiting me again.
A Star on the Forehead says
oh how I miss all about Fest Junina! I wish I was your neighbor!! 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks a lot! This cake is really simple and delicious. You can find all the ingredients at any American Supermarket. Have a great weekend!
A Star on the Forehead says
I am going to try that one and the Bolo de Fuba com coco and let you know! Thank you for the recipes!! 🙂
Denise Browning says
We're welcome! If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope you like them both. The pamonha is my favorite...xx
A Star on the Forehead says
I don't pamonha, curau ou bolo de milho, mas eu adoro bolo de fuba e qualquer coisa de coco.:)