Mielie Cake

Grease a 22x23cm cake pan. This is the Millini pan. Note: The smaller the baking pan, the thicker the cake will be, which means it’ll need more time in the oven. With this particular pan, the cake takes about an hour to bake through completely.

If you’re using a 27cm casserole dish or baking tray (like this Guzzini casserole), the cake will take about 25 to 30 minutes to bake.

To a microwavable bowl, add in 250 grams of butter or margarine.

Place the bowl of butter in the microwave and heat until fully melted. Set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare the other ingredients.

Bring out those mielies and peel off the leaves by gently pulling on them.

Cut off any dried parts of the mielies and discard – this usually happens to the tips.

Decob the mielies by slicing the kernels off with a sharp knife. I place the knife in the vertical indent, press down firmly and scrape the kernels off.

Once done, you should have about 430 grams of kernels.

Place the kernels into a food processor or blender & pulse until the kernels are ground but not too fine.

To a mixing bowl, add in the all-purpose or cake flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

Thereafter, add in the white sugar.

Mix until combined.

Separate the egg, keeping only the yolk. You can discard the egg white or save it for another use, like breakfast.

To another bowl, crack in 3 eggs.

Next, add the egg yolk to the bowl of eggs. Whole eggs build the cake’s structure, while the extra yolk boosts richness, moisture, and tenderness.

Add the vanilla essence and a few drops of yellow food coloring (egg yellow) to the eggs. This step is optional, it simply gives the cake a warm, golden hue. If you prefer a lighter or white cake, feel free to skip the coloring.

Whisk the eggs using a whisk or fork until well beaten.

Pour the egg mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients (flour mixture).

The melted butter should be a bit cooler now, pour it into the bowl.

Add in the blended mielies.

Gently fold until combined.

Pour the batter into the greased casserole/baking tray.

Use the back of a spoon to smoothen it out.

If using the 22x23cm cake pan – bake for ± 1 hour at 180° Celsius or until fully baked. Test the cake by inserting a skewer; it’s done when the skewer comes out clean, free of runny batter.

If using the 27cm cake pan – bake for ± 1 hour at 180° Celsius or until fully baked.

While the cake is still warm, spread the remaining 50 grams of butter over the top using a brush. This adds extra richness and a buttery finish, but feel free to use less if you prefer.

Slice in squares and serve.