Gluten-Free ‘Pastel de Elote’ Sweet Mexican Corn Cake (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

A lightened up, gluten-free, vegan, & top 8 allergy-free recipe for ‘Pastel de Elote’ Sweet Mexican Corn Cake! This traditional dessert is moist, dense, with a bread pudding like texture. Baked in a bundt pan, with fresh corn,  and topped with a light glaze, this treat will be gone in a flash!

Basically, we’re talking a sweet, bread-pudding-like, super moist, Mexican-style cornbread! Using a combination of masa (corn flour) and gluten-free all purpose with real sweet yellow corn kernels, this bundt cake is super “corny”. Pastel de Elote traditionally uses tons of condensed sweetened milk, but instead this vegan, dairy-free cake uses a combo of non-dairy milk and condensed coconut milk!

What does “Pastel de Elote” mean?

The Spanish literally means “Cake of Corn”. Similarly, “Pan de Elote” is “Bread of Corn” and is a Mexican corn bread, not cake, but still a real food/recipe. We’re making a decadent and sweet cake, although much…MUCH more lightened up and healthy! Yet it’s just as sweet, moist, and delicious as a traditional version. This version I’m giving you today would totally work as a sweet breakfast or brunch treat! Breakfast cake, anyone?

Typically this sweet corn cake is baked right in a normal square or round cake pan, but why not make it a little more special and bake it in a bundt pan? Any time you bake a cake in a bundt pan, you automatically raise the “fancy and beautiful” factor of your dessert! No fancy cake decorating skills required when the outline of the bundt pan does the work for you! Have no fear, if you don’t have a small bundt pan (double the recipe for a full size bundt), you can bake this Mexican corn cake in a small standard cake pan or loaf pan instead.

So what is the texture like in this sweet Mexican corn cake?

Have you ever had spoon bread or bread pudding? It takes some properties of both and fuses them into a cake. This sweet corn cake has enough structure though to hold up as a bundt cake, yet it’s still super moist, soft, dense, and spoon or fork “able”. Eat it with a spoon or fork (put a big slice in a bowl if you opt for a spoon) and you’re good to go either way! But what adds to the “spoonability” is the delicious simple glaze you’ll be pouring over this bundt! I used a mixture of powdered erythritol and some vegan honey. Having that glaze soak into the cake made it even more moist, more sweet and delicious!

Of course, one of the best parts about this corn cake is the actual pops of sweet yellow corn kernels prolifically strewn throughout! I am a loud and proud lover of corn, from my obsession with canned to deliciously sweet fresh New Jersey summer corn. Depending on the season you can use fresh corn on the cob (heated in the microwave and kernels removed) or use canned, frozen (and defrosted), etc. You’ll see just how easy this recipe is in all it’s healthified, gluten-free, vegan, glory!

Gluten-Free ‘Pastel de Elote’ Sweet Mexican Corn Cake

So after you’ve had a delicious dinner of some gluten-free tamales, maybe this sweet Mexican corn cake will be the perfect way to round-out your very corny feast! But if you can’t wait until after dinner, breakfast or brunch is still an open option and the perfect addition to something savory…

So tell me:

+ Have you ever had (or even heard of) Pastel de Elote?

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