Mantecada (Colombian-Style Butter Corn Bread)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups corn meal
- ½ all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 cup of sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of milk rum or aguardiente
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract and rum.
- In another bowl, stir together the corn meal, baking powder and flour. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 additions, beating on low speed after each addition until smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool. Cut into squares.
Mantecada is a traditional Colombian butter corn cake that is very popular in the capital of the country, Bogotá. This cake tastes best when freshly prepared and it is usually served with berry preservers (Dulce de Mora o Fresa) on the side.
The first time I had Mantecada was in a hotel in Bogotá about fifteen years ago while training for a new job. They served it to me as a complimentary afternoon snack with fresh blackberry preserves on the side and I fell in love with it. I have been receiving requests from my readers for this recipe ever since I began blogging, so I went to one of my good friends here in the United States, who is from Bogotá, and she shared her mom's recipe with me.
Some Colombian people add aguardiente, an anise flavored liquor, others add rum, while others don't add any alcohol at all to the batter. So, you can decide what to add to your Mantecada, depending of your taste. I like mine with a little rum flavor. This recipe tastes just like I remember it.
Buen provecho!
grace
i like my cornbread buttery and with an extra pat of butter on top! 🙂
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz.com
I am a big fan of any corn bread but this one looks especially good. I would do the rum for sure.
Rosie
Your recipe says 1/2 all purpose flour. I assume you mean half a cup?
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Lovely! I have to bake a batch too!
Belinda @zomppa
I would have been loyal to that company forever! And gain 5000 jobs on the job,
rebecca
looks tasty and love the way it is served
Jeannie
That looks so yummy! I have tried baking cornbread once and it turned out pretty grainy...I must have used the wrong kind of cornmeal!
Chris
You are going to break my Pin finger if I have to keep pinning all of your recipes, lol.
Chantelle Brittain
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful recipe. My partner is from Bogota and he misses this type of food so much in Australia. But he is definey not a great cook!!! Can you please explain what you mean by corn meal? In Australia we have white corn flour for thickening soups or other than that the corn meal of yellowish Colombian areparina that we can buy to make arepas. Thanks 🙂
Erica
Masarepa is pre-cooked corn flour....You have to use regular corn flour or you can use polenta.
Amy
Your cornbread looks yummy!!
Could you please tell me how much is 1 stick of butter = to a block of butter in kilograms? 200grms?
Thank you!
Erica
4oz or 113g
Bomvero
Una pregunta:
1/2 all purpose flour. De que medida?
Gracias.
Nathaly
Hi 🙂 I love your recipes... Today I wanted to make mantecada but I could find corn meal, only cornbread flour. Is this the same? Thank you
Erica Dinho
Yes.
MrsH
Hello,
It's a wonderful & oh so tasty recipe, thanks for taking the time to share it with everyone!
If I wanted to use this as a birthday cake (strawberry filling), what frosting would you recommend? I don't think it's very typical for a bday cake, right?
Thank you so much!
Elsa
Thanks for giving the measurements in cups instead of grams After 45 years living in the USA it is difficult to make the conversion! And also for the oven temperature in Fahrenheit degrees instead of Centigrades.
Brittany Ortiz
I found another recipe that has the flour and corn meal measurements reversed - 1 1/2 flour and 1/2 cup corn meal. Is this recipe more accurate?
Maria
Hola, corn meal puede ser pan?
Erica Dinho
Es diferente harina de maiz, no para arepas.
Viviana
Es corn meal Lo Mismo a mazeca?