Creamy Maja Blanca

Maja blanca is a Filipino pudding made by boiling and setting a mixture made of cornstarch, cream of corn, coconut milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, corn kernels, sugar and grafted cheese. This dish is an adaptation of the Spanish “manjar blanco” which means “white delicacy”. The blanca in its name literally translates to “white”. Another name for this dish is “coconut pudding” because the maja blanca captured most of its flavours from the coconut milk

With the use of cornstach, this treat has a consistency which can be described as in between gelatinous and mousse. It can be easily made at home, or can be bought alongside other kakanins from the market.

The maja blanca is often served during fiestas and different occassions with it being super easy to prepare using economical ingredients. With its consistency and flavor, you can serve this as an alternative to cake or as an additional dessert. Yum!

Creamy Maja Blanca Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cornstarch
• 1 can cream of corn
• 4 cups coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (300 mL) condensed milk
• 1 can (370 mL) evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole corn kernels
• Sugar to taste
• Grated cheese (for toppings)

Directions:

1. Prepare your molders and line them with banana leaves and brush with melted butter or simply oil.
2. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and water (or milk). Stir gently and dissolve well. Set this aside.
3. In a pan, add the coconut milk, cream of corn, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Stir to mix well. Do a taste test and add sugar as needed. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Let the mixture boil using medium heat. Once it boils, let it simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the coconut milk. Add the corn kernels and stir a bit.
4. Stir the cornstarch mixture made earlier. Make sure it has no residue at the bottom. Add this mixture to the creamy mixture. Stir quickly and vigorously until the maja blanca thickens a lot. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and sticky.
5. After almost 8 minutes of continued stirring, turn the heat off and transfer the maja blanca mixture immediately to the lined containers. 
6. Flatten the top using a spoon. Let them cool completely before adding more grated cheese on top.
7. You can serve the creamy maja blanca warm or chilled. Have this as a snack together with your afternoon coffee or tea. Yum!

A Special Treat For My Niece

The dessert which will totally capture the hearts of the corn and cream lovers would be the creamy maja blanca. This chilled treat has a texture similar to a mousse cake but made creamier by the coconut milk. Additionally corn flavors are added by a lot of corn kernels found in different parts of the dessert. The creamy maja blanca is a classic Filipino delicacy which is best eaten during merienda or for dessert.

I am always a softie for my niece. Whenever she craves anything, I always do my best to satisfy her cravings and give her the food of her thoughts. She had been attending a lot of birthday parties lately where she gather her food requests for me to try at home. She came across a corn cake at one of her friend’s birthday where she excitedly described the soft and jelly birthday cake which was made of corn.

Checking my bank account, the ingredients in making a corn cake is way far than what my wallet can handle. Since I do not want to make her sad, I decided to make her some maja blanca which has a consistency comparable to a cake which can be highly infused with the corn flavor that she is craving.

I usually make my maja blanca in small tupperwares, but this time, I made this in a circular pan to simulate the shape of a cake. The creamy maja blanca or Filipino Coconut milk is traditionally topped with grated cheese and latik, but for this specific occasion I make this for my niece and I topped this pudding with cream of corn and grated cheese. While the creamy maja blanca was not the perfect corn cake she is dreaming about, the sweetness and creaminess of this treat still puts a smile on her face which is my ultimate goal.

If you wanna know how to make creamy maja blanca at home, read and follow the quick steps below. Happy cooking!

How to Make Creamy Maja Blanca

The steps of how to make a creamy maja blanca is super simple. As a Filipino delicacy enthusiast, I have made this recipe for a lot of times now and my top most recommendation to anyone who will make this for the first time is to do some stretching and exercise because your arm muscles will be greatly challenged for this one.

It is important to understand the the slurry (cornstach dissolved in water) will be the thickener for the maja blanca. We prepare this first so it would be ready.

For the maja blanca mixture, simply combine the coconut milk, cream of corn, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Do a taste test first and make it extra sweeter as the sweetness will tone down later when the mixture thickens. You can add sugar or extra condensed milk. Heat the mixture before adding the corn kernels and cream of corn. Once the corn flavor has been infused in the mixture, time to add the cornstarch slurry! This is where the challenge begins.

Before adding the slurry, stir it a little first to mix the ones which settles at the bottom. Add the slurry slowly while mixing the mixture vigorously. The vigorous stirring might take from 8 to 10 minutes. You can have someone to substitute you when mixing. The end mixture will be a thick, sticky and creamy one. Transfer this thickened mixture into your line molder to let it set and become firm.

Whether warm or chilled, you may serve the maja blanca however you want. I add some grated cheese on top of this  before serving. You may also add some latik or dessicated coconut if you like. If I’m feeling fancy, I drizzle some hot honey over it. Yum! Best eaten together with tea or coffee.

Creamy Maja Blanca Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 2 tasang cornstarch
• 1 latang cream of corn
• 4 tasang gata
• 2 tasang tubig
• 1 lata (300 mL) condensed milk
• 1 lata (370 mL) evaporated milk
• 1 tasang whole corn kernels
• asukal
• Grated cheese (pang toppings)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Ihanda ang mga molders at lagyan ito ng dahon ng saging. Ibrush ang mga ito ng tunaw na butter (o mantika) para hindi masyadong dumikit ang maja blanca.
2. Sa isang bowl, paghaluin ang cornstrach at tubig (o gatas). Haluin ito hanggang matunaw. Isantabi.
3. Paghaluin ang gata, cream of corn, condensed milk at evaporated milk sa kawali. Tikman ito at dagdagan ng asukal kung kailangan. Haluin ito para matunaw ang asukal. Pakuluan ang mixture gamit ang katamtamang apoy. Kapag kumukulo na, hayaan itong maluto ng 5 pang minuto para maluto ang gata. Ilagay ang corn kernels at haluin ng konti.
4. Ilagay ang ginawang slurry kanina. Siguraduhing wala itong lumps bago ihalo sa maja blanca mixture. Haluin ang maja blanca ng mabilis at tuloy tuloy hanggang sa maging malapot at malagkit at smooth.
5. Pagkatapos ng 8 minuto ng paghahalo, patayin ang apoy at ilipat ang maja blanca mixture sa molders.
6. Pantayin ang ibabaw nito gamit ang kutsara. Palamigin ito bago lagyan ng grated cheese sa ibabaw.
7. Ihain ang creamy maja blanca ng malamig. Kainin ito bilang meryenda kasama ng mainit na kape o tsaa. Yum!