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    Home » BREADS

    Mexican Sweet Cornbread (Tomalito)

    July 25, 2015 23 Comments

    chevy's sweet corn tomalito

    Last year, I was at Chevy's with my grandkids and one of them asked if I could figure out how to make the Mexican sweet cornbread called tomalito that they serve with all their dinners. It was a huge favorite of all the kids, and he was clearly trying to steer me away from cooking another quinoa dinner on their next visit. Not that he was eating the quinoa dinner, mind you, he was just trying to broaden my horizons instead of the other way around.

    chevy's sweet corn tomalito

    I looked high and low for a recipe and found several. As the date neared for their next visit, I did a couple of trial runs, settled on a recipe, and waited for their verdict. Each of the five kids readied themselves for their critique, forks raised. I'm not sure who was more surprised when they all gave me a hearty thumbs up, them or me, but one of them sealed the deal when he piped up, "you've got to put this one on your blog, Grandma Susan, instead of that kale". I was tempted to do a kale version, just for the fun of it, but decided to keep it honest. If you like Chevy's sweet corn tomalito, this is the real deal.

    Print Recipe
    4.12 from 26 votes

    Mexican Sweet Cornbread (Tomalito)

    This sweet cornbread is soft and moist from steaming in the oven, and dotted with corn. Guaranteed to be a big hit with the kids at the table!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs
    Total Time2 hrs 20 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: cornbread, tomalito
    Servings: 16 squares
    Calories: 130kcal
    Author: Susan Pridmore

    Ingredients

    • 6 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
    • ½ cup sugar
    • ¾ cup 2% milk
    • ½ cup masa harina
    • ½ cup fine or medium cornmeal
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 4 cups fresh or frozen corn, divided

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325˚F. Butter an 8" X 8" baking dish, and heat up 2 quarts of water in the microwave or on the stove.
    • Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the milk and mix well.
    • Whisk together the masa harina, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter-sugar-milk mixture.
    • Puree half of the corn in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Add to the rest of the ingredients, along with the other half of the corn kernels.
    • Pour the mixture into the baking dish and cover with foil. Place in a 9" X 13" baking dish and add the hot water to the larger dish, about ⅓ up the sides of the smaller dish.
    • Bake for 90 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake until the tomalito cake is firm, about 20 - 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
    • This dish is also great reheated.

    Notes

    This is slightly modified from the book Top Secret Restaurant Recipes. I've made this in a single baking dish and in cupcake tins. Both worked great, but only bake the cupcakes for 1 hour before removing the foil.
    Calories were calculated using the VeryWell Fit nutrition calculator for 16 servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 130kcal
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christopher Baccus

      July 26, 2015 at 9:24 am

      Tomalitos are so good and I'm always looking for new ways to use them. Can't wait to try this.

      Reply
      • Janet

        July 29, 2015 at 7:54 pm

        I admit I do subscribe to other food blogs but I look forward to yours the most because I always LOVE your recipes because they make me think and cook outside the box. I love the hunt for different ingredients and enjoying cooking with them. I feel more confident now and am not so afraid to cook with different spices . Can you please tell me what massa harina is. I looked through the blog but I'm sorry I don't know what it is. Would I go to a specialty supermarket for it.Keep up the great recipes....the one's I have tried...loved them as did hubby and he's a carnivore. Thank you!

        Reply
        • Chris Baccus

          July 30, 2015 at 9:33 am

          Masa Harina is corn flour that is used for tamales and corn tortillas. Bob's Red Mill sells it and they are available in a lot of markets. It's better though if you can find a Spanish market that sells it fresh.

          And thank you so much for that wonderful feedback about my blog. It's great having a community of bloggers like us doing more vegetarian options. I look forward to trying more your dishes. Thanks again!

          Reply
        • The Wimpy Vegetarian

          July 30, 2015 at 10:59 am

          Hi Janet! Thanks so much for your comment! I really appreciate it. Masa harina is a type of fine corn four that has a distinctive taste versus regular corn flour because of how it's processed. Essentially to make masa harina, corn is dried and cooked in water with slaked lime, ground and dried again. It's a prime ingredient when making tortillas. Don't be tempted to substitute regular corn flour for masa harina. I find it in the same section of the store that sells corn flour. You can also purchase it on Amazon. Hope that helps. This fish is a big crowd pleaser.

          Reply
    2. Liz

      July 26, 2015 at 9:34 am

      I have no idea what a tomalito is but yours looks amazing!!! And if this passes the grandchildren taste testing, it must taste pretty fabulous, too 🙂

      Reply
    3. Teri@The Freshman Cook

      July 26, 2015 at 10:01 am

      This looks soooo good! I have not been to Chevy's in years, but it was always one of my favorites. My son loved the fresh made tortillas when he was little. I think I had the sweet corn tomalito, but I can't wait to try yours! YUM-O!

      Reply
    4. Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook

      July 26, 2015 at 2:20 pm

      So sweet. 🙂
      I don't know what Chevy's is, but this casserole sounds delicious!

      Reply
    5. michelle @ Boards&Knives

      July 26, 2015 at 3:25 pm

      Oh. My. Goodness! Thank you for posting this! I've loved tomalito since I was little but I had no idea what it was called or how to make it until now! I'm so happy - I will be making this for sure!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        July 30, 2015 at 11:07 am

        Thanks so much Michelle! I love it too!!!

        Reply
    6. DB, Foodie Stuntman | Crazy Foodie Stunts

      July 26, 2015 at 3:31 pm

      Glad it was grandkid approved! We missed you at #FWCon this year....

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        July 30, 2015 at 11:03 am

        Thanks DB! I missed you guys too. Really hoping to be able to go next year!

        Reply
    7. mjskitchen

      July 27, 2015 at 7:21 pm

      I did not know this dish was called a tomalito. I've always called it sweet corn mush. I guess that's the southern girl in me. 🙂 I love this dish and haven't made it in quite a while. That's going to change. So glad you selected this recipe to share!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        July 30, 2015 at 11:06 am

        I didn't know either, MJ! I just always thought of it as sweet corn cake. My then 8-year-old grandson was the one who set me straight ?

        Reply
        • mjskit

          July 30, 2015 at 2:06 pm

          Sounds like your grandson is already on the path to being a real foodie. 🙂

          Reply
    8. Sarah E.

      July 28, 2015 at 7:16 am

      That looks so good! It reminds me a bit of a corn casserole that my mom-in-law makes 🙂

      Reply
    9. Valerie Cathell Clark

      July 28, 2015 at 9:54 am

      5 stars
      My family would love this one too! I'm trying this soon! I've never had this dish before, but I'm a huge fan of sweet corn! YUM!

      Reply
    10. Constance Smith

      July 28, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      So many restaurants I have never been to or heard of, but this dish looks yummy!

      Reply
    11. Marion@LifeTastesGood

      August 01, 2015 at 10:18 pm

      I have not had this before, but I'm glad you shared this recipe. It sounds delicious!

      Reply
    12. Shelby

      August 02, 2015 at 1:55 pm

      I am quite certain I would love this recipe! Sounds yummy!

      Reply
    13. Jessica

      August 10, 2015 at 9:31 am

      5 stars
      I think I'd probably vote for this over kale too! It looks delicious!!

      Reply
    14. Kirsten

      August 10, 2015 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      Susan,
      I live under a rock, because I don't know what Chevy's or tomalitos are, but this looks delicious. It's a very timely post since we've got plenty of corn coming in the farm share and the farmer's market and I'm putting some up in the freezer every week.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Marilynn Nichols

        July 11, 2021 at 12:08 pm

        Curous! How does this freeze. I've made it before, but eaten within a day or so of making it.

        Reply
        • The Wimpy Vegetarian

          July 11, 2021 at 1:13 pm

          5 stars
          I've never frozen it. I make it when the kids are coming to visit, and it gets all eaten within a day. But it's a great question. Next time I make it, which will be soon, I'll try to freeze part and let you know!

          Reply

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