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–+ servings
a slice of corn cake on a white cutting board.
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4.80 from 10 votes

Corn Cake

This corn layer cake features a cornmeal cake, a corn pastry cream filling and corn buttercream made with fresh corn!
Prep Time1 day 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 1 9x13 cake
Author: Erika Kwee

Ingredients

For the corn pudding

  • 2-3 ears fresh corn, divided (around 3 cups) 420g
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream 170g
  • 1/4 cup water 113g
  • 1/2 cup sugar, divided 100g
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 large egg yolks 28g
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch 14g

For the corn cake

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 210g
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar 300g
  • 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal 90g
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature 85g
  • 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature 170g
  • 3/4 cup water 170g
  • 7 tbsp neutral oil 90g
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature 100g
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

For the corn crumb

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour 60g
  • 2 tbsp freeze-dried corn powder* 9g
  • 1 tbsp corn flour* 8g
  • 3 tbsp sugar 33g
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the corn diplomat cream

  • 1 cup corn pudding 226g
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream 170g
  • 1/2 cup fresh corn (optional)

For the corn buttercream

  • 1/2 cup corn pudding 113g
  • 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened slightly 170g
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • 3-4 cups powdered sugar 339-452g
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream 28g
  • pinch of kosher salt, to taste

To assemble

  • 1/4 cup cornmeal crumb
  • 2 tbsp fresh or canned corn kernels

Instructions

For the corn pudding

  • Cut the corn off 2-3 ears fresh corn, divided (around 3 cups) and set aside 1 cup of whole kernels for the filling/garnish. Snap the cobs in half and place them along with the remaining 2 cups corn kernels in a medium saucepan.
  • Add the 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt to the saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let simmer 1 full minute, then turn off the heat, cover and let steep for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours).
  • Discard the corn cobs and use an immersion blender to thoroughly blend the corn mixture. Wipe out the saucepan to remove any remaining corn fibers, then strain the corn mixture through a fine mesh sieve back into the saucepan, using a spatula to get as much liquid as possible out of the corn mixture.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together 2 large egg yolks and 2 tbsp cornstarch. Once combined, whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the corn mixture in the saucepan and set over medium low heat.
  • Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Let cook for one additional minute until thickened (you'll see the whisk leaving streaks in the pudding and a line drawn in the pudding on a spatula should hold its shape). 
  • Pour the pudding into a heat-proof bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

For the corn cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal, 1 tbsp baking powder and 3/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix on low to combine.
  • With the mixer on low, add 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature one tablespoon at a time and mix for 1-2 minutes or until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture looks moistened and crumbly.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature, 3/4 cup water, 7 tbsp neutral oil, 2 large eggs, at room temperature and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, slowly stream the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture and mix for 30 seconds until the batter is smooth.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top just springs back under your fingers and the edges are just starting to brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (ideally overnight).

For the corn crumb

  • While the oven is still on, combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 2 tbsp freeze-dried corn powder*, 1 tbsp corn flour*, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp kosher salt and 1/8 tsp baking powder in a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and mix until you have a fairly even crumbly mixture (you want all the crumbs to be a similar size).
  • Pour the crumbs onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crumbs are still mostly pale but set. Remove and let cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

For the corn diplomat cream

  • Optional but recommended step: Add the reserved 1 cup of fresh corn kernels to a small saucepan and steam with 2 tbsp of water for 5 minutes until the kernels are plump and soft. Let cool completely before using. Personally, I don't love the texture of starchy raw corn. But if you like it, you can skip this step!
  • Add the chilled corn pudding to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high for 30-60 seconds or until the pudding is loosened and smooth.
  • Transfer the pudding to a separate bowl. In the same bowl of the stand mixer, add 3/4 cup heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks.
  • Remove 1/2 cup/4 oz corn pudding and set aside for the corn buttercream. Fold the whipped cream into the remaining amount of pudding (should be around 1 cup/8oz) until smooth. Set aside around 2 tbsp of corn kernels for garnish, then fold 1/2 cup fresh corn (optional) into the cream, if using. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the corn buttercream

  • Add the reserved 1/2 cup corn pudding, 12 tbsp unsalted butter, softened slightly and 1 tbsp miso paste to the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until everything is evenly incorporated.
  • Add 3-4 cups powdered sugar and mix on medium speed until smooth. Add 2 tbsp heavy cream and whip on high for 30-60 seconds, or until very fluffy. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.

To assemble

  • Torte the corn cake (slice it into two layers). Spread the corn diplomat cream on top of the first layer and cover with a layer of corn crumbs (reserving 1/4 cup for the garnish).
  • Top with the second layer of cake and do a light crumb coat with the corn buttercream. Chill for 10-15 minutes, then finish with a final layer of buttercream.
  • For the garnish, use a chef's knife to trace a grid across the top of the cake (I did 4x8 for a total of 32 rectangles). Using your reserved corn crumbs and fresh corn, top each rectangle with a tiny pile of corn crumbs and a single kernel of corn. Refrigerate until ready to serve and enjoy!

Notes

*If you don't have freeze-dried corn powder or corn flour on hand, you can swap these for 1/4 cup cornmeal. The corn flavor will be less prominent, but you'll still have a buttery crunch.
If you happen to have corn cookies on hand, try skipping the corn crumb and crumble those into the middle instead! The first time I made this cake, I had some leftover Milk Bar corn cookies that I crumbled into the middle and it was quite good.
The corn cake is quite delicate, so I recommend fully chilling it (ideally in the freezer) after it's baked. On the day of assembly, remove the cake from the freezer to let it defrost slightly while you make the diplomat cream and buttercream.