Colombian Mantecadas (Bogotá Corn Cake)

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Mantecadas are the corn cake of Bogotá: mostly corn flour, enriched with butter and six eggs, and given a small measure of aguardiente, the anise-flavoured Colombian spirit. Eaten warm from the oven with blackberry or strawberry preserve, or a glass of milk. This is not the Mexican mantecada muffin. Makes about 10.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Breads

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: mantecadas

Servings:

Calories: 584kcal

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

250 g sugar about 1¼ cups
570 g corn flour (harina de maíz) about 4½ cups; the fine kind, not coarse cornmeal and not cornstarch
250 g butter, at room temperature about 2¼ sticks
60 g all-purpose flour about ½ cup
250 ml milk about 1 cup
6 eggs
8 g baking powder about 2 teaspoons
4 tablespoons aguardiente, optional the Colombian anise spirit; anisette or rum are the closest swaps
Sweet sprinkles, optional for the top

Instructions

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one before adding the next.
In a separate bowl, combine the corn flour, the all-purpose flour and the baking powder.
Add the dry mixture to the bowl gradually, a little at a time, beating until it is smooth and free of lumps.
Pour in the milk and the four tablespoons of aguardiente, and beat briefly to combine.
Grease the tin well. Either spoon in portions of whatever size you want, to make individual mantecadas, or pour the whole mixture in as a single cake to be cut into pieces afterwards. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. That is the time for the whole cake; individual mantecadas are done much sooner, so start checking them at around 20 minutes.
Take them out, scatter over sweet sprinkles or a little sugar, and eat them warm.

Notes

Mantecadas are a Bogotá thing, sold in bakeries all over the city and eaten warm, ideally within a few hours of coming out of the oven. They are traditionally served with dulce de mora or dulce de fresa, blackberry or strawberry preserve, or simply with a glass of milk. The aguardiente is optional and the quantity is small: four tablespoons across a cake this size leaves a faint anise note rather than a taste of alcohol. Leave it out and the cake is still good.

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