There is evidence, in the form of corn pollen grains unearthed 200 feet beneath Mexico City, that corn has been growing in the Western Hemisphere for 80,000 years. For the past few thousand, humans have been cultivating it to suit their taste.
American Indians, realizing that sweet corn occurs as a spontaneous mutation of field corn, selectively bred crops for this characteristic. While they ground their starchy field corn into grain, they ate its sweet cousin fresh. Corn-on-the-cob was born. Since then, farmers have never stopped trying to breed sweeter and sweeter ears.
Until 30 or so years ago, sweet corn had to be picked at just the right moment, before the sugary “milk” inside each kernel was converted into starch. As soon as the corn was picked, this conversion process went into high gear, so corn was at its sweetest immediately after harvesting.
Then scientists began developing hybrids that would hold onto their sweetness for days after picking, allowing winter corn to be shipped from warmer to colder climates. While they were at it, they also engineered corn to be sweeter than ever. With names like Sugar Bun, Candy Korn and How Sweet It Is, today’s varieties guarantee to deliver the sugar fix people crave.
You could decry this development as just another sign of America’s out-of-control sweet tooth. Or use today’s extra-sweet corn to make dessert. Add it to rice pudding or flan, make corn ice cream or try corn souffles for dessert.
I used a couple of ears of corn to make Sweet Corn Bundt Cake. Stirring corn kernels into the batter gave my cake extra sweetness, moisture and a wonderfully chewy texture. It was rustic and satisfying on its own, but even better when I drizzled it with a buttery maple glaze. What a nice dessert to celebrate the last weeks of summer and the coming of fall.
SWEET CORN BUNDT CAKE WITH MAPLE GLAZE
Makes 10 servings.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pan
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 2 medium ears)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
To prepare oven, pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup bundt pan. Dust with a little flour. Set aside.
To make cake: In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter.Using electric mixer, beat for 3 minutes or until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add eggs. Beat until smooth, scraping down bowl once or twice. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, and ending with flour. Stir in corn.
To bake cake: Scrape batter into prepared pan. Using rubber spatula, smooth top. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until cake is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely.
To make glaze: In small saucepan, combine butter and maple syrup. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour warm glaze over cake. Let stand for 30 minutes or until set. Slice and serve.