Cachapas (Corn Pancakes)

By Christie Vanover | Published January 1, 2013 | Last Updated December 28, 2022

This was an experiment that tastes great. I just needed my better pancake pan.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope your 2013 is everything you dream it will be. Mine has already started out perfect. My husband is home from Afghanistan, and we were able to celebrate together and share the traditional midnight kiss.

I’m not one big on resolutions (mainly because I always make ones related to weight, and I always break them), but this year I resolve to get off the couch and do stuff.

I used to be very active and creative, but the last half of 2012, I hit a dry spell. I would go to work, come home and was unmotivated to create like I used to. Maybe it was because I knew we were moving or I was just tired of living alone…not sure…but that dry spell is OVER.

I resolve that I’m going to live it up in my hometown of Vegas. I’m going to dive into the culinary scene and share it with you as much as possible. I’m going to explore the beautiful, natural areas of Southern Nevada and Arizona, and I’m going to get back to building upcycled furniture. I’m going to restore my 67 Mustang with my husband and plant a dream backyard reminiscent of Versailles. So hold onto your seats, 2013 is gonna be a fun ride.

To start off the year, I tried a new dish Cachapas. They are Venezuelan corn pancakes. I learned about them through the Food Network’s $24 in 24 hours.

I thought New Year’s Day was the perfect day to make them because in the South, eating cornbread on New Years is lucky because it symbolizes gold.

I like to experiment because when I make mistakes, I learn new things. And boy I learned a lot with this recipe:

1. Use the right pan
2. Keep the heat on medium-low
3. Use butter not oil

I don’t have all my pans with me because we’re in the process of moving. For my first cachapa, I used my Le Creuset enameled skillet. I love this pan, but I used oil and had the heat on medium-high. Result: the cachapas stuck to the pan and didn’t cook through in the middle. Not so pretty.

Second attempt, I found a cheap non-stick pan in the cupboard. It was a leftover Dollar Store pan Ally brought to Vegas for the World Food Championships. I used oil again and turned the heat down. It turned out better, but the cachapa was too greasy from the oil.

On my final attempt, I used Ally’s Dollar Store pan, butter and put the heat on medium-low. I also made the cachapas a lot smaller so they were easier to flip. This was much better, but for some reason, they were a little burnt around the edges.

Next time I make these, I will use my Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick Griddle from Williams-Sonoma #CooksNetwork.

Despite the burnt edges and not so gorgeous plating, my husband and I enjoyed our first meal of 2013. The outside of the cachapas were a little sweet and caramelized, the inside had a mellow sweet corn flavor with a little texture, and the topping of cotija cheese provided a sour, salty finish. I will definitely be making these again.

Cachapas (Corn Pancakes)

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Servings 6 3-inch pancakes

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Ingredients

 

• 1 15 ¾- oz. can corn drained
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. sugar
• ⅛ tsp. kosher salt
• 1 /8 tsp. smoked paprika optional
• butter
• cotija cheese

Instructions

• 
• Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender.
  
• Pulse until combined, but still a little course.
• Heat a griddle over medium-low heat. Coat with some butter.
  
• Ladle one scoop of batter onto the griddle.
  
• Cook until bubbles start to pop on the surface.
• Flip. Continue cooking until browned.
  
• Serve on a plate with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of cotija cheese.

This estimate was created using an online nutrition calculator

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