These Mini Coconut Corn Cakes may sound crazy, but they taste crazy good! In many cultures, corn and coconut are paired in dessert, so this vegetable cake highlights them both. It's so easy to make the corn cob jelly and it tastes like honey - perfect inside corn cakes.
why you'll love coconut corn cake
This moist, mild cake has faint corn undertones with the coconut. But trust me, they work beautifully together!
I reduced the fat content by adding Greek yogurt and put in less sugar so it isn't sickly sweet but still cakelike.
Then I boiled the leftover corn cobs into a quick corn cob jelly to sweeten up the cake a little more. The corn cob jelly is a revelation.
So easy to make and absolutely gorgeous. It tastes like honey!
Altogether it's a dreamy, moist cake with a super subtle undertone of corn. But corn is so sweet that it's not glaring, not strong. Just gentle corn sweetness.
corn and coconut
Corn and coconut soup, coconut creamed corn... two alliterative flavours that pair together in decadent heaven. So I put them together in cake. Ooh, yeah.
I'm not the only one to love this flavor combo.
It's a traditional dish in Vietnam: Chia Che Bap, which is a Coconut and Corn Chia Pudding that's delicious for dessert or breakfast.
You'll also know it from the popular twist on the traditional American classic: coconut creamed corn.
serving suggestion
- I served this cake cut with scone cutters into mini layer cakes. But you could serve it as a sheet cake too!
- This cake is amazing with a little easy coconut cream. Get the recipe for how to make whipped coconut cream.
- If you don't want to make corn cob jelly, try it without or use apricot jam.
vegetable cakes
Looking for more fun vegetable cake recipes? Try these!
Zucchini Cake
Vanilla Spinach Cake
Apple Kale Cake
Vanilla Pea Cake
Chocolate Mashed Potato Cake
get the recipe for coconut corn cake with corn cob jelly
Did you make this Corn Cake recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes.
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Mini Coconut Corn Cake with Corn Cob Jelly
Ingredients
For the corn cob jelly:
- 4 ears of corn
- 3/4 cup (145g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon pectin
- 2 jam jars sterilized
For the cake:
- 4 cups (450g) cooked corn kernels as used for the jelly
- 3/4 cup (170g) butter softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (240ml) coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups (450g) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (75g) shredded coconut
To finish:
- Coconut cream chilled and whipped
- Shaved coconut optional
Instructions
First, make the corn cob jelly:
- Remove the husks and silks and boil the corn on the cob in enough water to just cover for five minutes. Reserving the cooking water, remove from the corn on the cob and run under cold water to cool. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife and set aside for the cake.
- Return the cobs to the pan of water and boil for 30 mins. Remove the cobs and strain 1 cup of the cooking water through muslin into a small saucepan and discard the rest. Add the pectin and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and boil for 5 minutes. Pour into a sterilized jar and allow to cool, then refrigerate.
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 325F / 160C. Grease 2 x 8” square cake tins.
- Puree the cooked corn kernels with a hand held blender until smooth. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat in well. Stir in the corn puree, coconut milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut. Make a well in the centre and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix gently until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter, spread corn jelly and whipped coconut cream between layers of cut cake and decorate with shaved coconut.
Nikki
I have over ripe corn kernels and jars of corn stock still sitting in my freezer since summer and didn't know what to do with them. This sounds like a perfect way to use them!
Aishah
Hi Kate, where would I be able to get pectin from here in the UK?
In Malaysia, we use sweetcorn in a lot of dessert dishes 🙂 We also have sweetcorn icecream, sweetcorn drink, sweetcorn pudding, I could go on and on! 🙂
Sarah Reid
What type of pectin are you using? Would love to find one that works without a 2 part process or a ton of sugar
PassTheKnife
These are adorable and I bet super moist and yummy! Great recipe!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks! They really were delicious!
Stuart
Corn works so well in sweet dishes. This also reminds me of Sweetcorn Relish Skips I used to enjoy as a lad? You are a genius Kate
Kate Hackworthy
Ha, sweetcorn skips! Corn is great as a sweet.
Kavey
Oh I'd love these but Pete's the baker in our house and hates sweet corn. Looks fabulous,
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Kavey. Lucky you have a baker partner.
Emily @amummytoo
What a fantastic idea! I had a dessert with sweetcorn in it for the first time at Britmums Live earlier this year and am totally sold on the idea. Will definitely be trying these.
Kate Hackworthy
Ooh, I would have loved to try it. I love the vegetable desserts going mainstream 😀
Nazima
love the idea of the jelly - and am sure the cakes must taste so nice - two lovely flavours in there. Wonderful idea. thanks for linking to my corn recipe too 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
The jelly is so easy and delicious. So honey-like!
Elizabeth
Oh goodness these look amazing! I love sweetcorn (especially creamed) and cornbread so I know I would love this. So seriously impressed with all your clever recipes!
Kate Hackworthy
Thanks Elizabeth! I love cornbread as well so I was desperate to have a play with cake flavours involving corn. 😀
Cooksister
Such pretty little cakes! And I am fascinated by the idea of making a jelly from corn cobs - like nose to tail eating for vegetarians 😉
Cooksister
Also meant to add - thanks for linking to my recipe!
Kate Hackworthy
Ha ha! I love it. Nose to tail eating for veggies - definitely! 😀
Chrissy
I love jam of all kinds but I never thought of or heard of corn...genius! Love it.
Kate Hackworthy
I was really excited to try it and it's amazing!