Hi Guys! Today we have something super delicious for you! Cachapas!! They’re Venezuelan corn pancakes and they’re amazing! Both savory with a hint of sweetness from the corn, they’re also soft and very reminiscent of buttermilk pancakes in texture….light and fluffy.
The boyfriend and I had this for the first time this past spring in Playa Del Carmen. We has heard of this amazing little arepa spot in town, and since I’m a total whore for a good arepa, we set out for town. We were expecting to enjoy a tasty lunch and ended up with so much more. We were greeted by the owner, who was a small, but very jovial and loud man who was walking around serving guests, cleaning tabletops and singing songs. We soon learned that he was a Venezuelan gentleman who had moved to Mexico two years ago, from his homeland, to open his restaurant in an area where the competition for the type of food he was serving wasn’t so high.
We were pleased to hear that it was the best decision he could’ve made for himself! He said since his move, his small business had really been a hit in town, plus because he rides his bike to work everyday, he had lost almost 40 lbs in his short two years in Mexico. On top of this mans good fortune in a new country, he also talked about and served his food with so much knowledge and passion. While we went into the establishment for arepas, we also ordered the cachapas, per his suggestion,…filled with shredded beef and queso fresco. Delicious!!! It was light and crisp on the outside, but soft and cake-like on the inside and with the shredded beef and cheese filling, it was rich, well balanced and just perfect. Cachapas are probably one of my favorite things to eat now!…especially because the filling ingredients are endless!
Today I’ve shrunk the cachapas down to bite-sized and topped them with a vegetarian filling…I mean hello meatless monday! You can totally make a couple large ones to and stuff them if you prefer…these are just party friendly, that’s all. I sauteed up a bit of red onion and poblano peppers and topped the cachapas with that mix as well as diced tomatoes, minced cilantro (a lazy man’s pico de gallo) and crumbled queso fresco. I know my recipe isn’t authentic and I’m not even going to attempt an “authentic” version…I’m leaving that to the pros, like my new friend in Playa. :) I do like how the texture of this recipe is very similar and reminiscent of the meal I had last spring.
If you’re looking for a great new/different app to bring to your next social gathering or you want a quick, easy and delicious meal just for yourself, I think these cachapas will hit the spot! Enjoy! xx, Jenny
More recipes you might like:
Cachapas
INGREDIENTS
- 5 ears of yellow corn, shucked
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoons superfine sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ½ cup finely ground cornmeal
- ¼ cup masa harina
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all ingredients, except butter, into a blender and pulse 10 times until ingredients are well combined and there is still some texture to the corn kernels.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add half of butter.
- Once butter has melted, scoop 3 tablespoon sized balls of batter into the skillet, about 1 inch apart. Pan fry for about 4 minutes. Flip each cachapa over and continue to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until browned and crisp.
- Remove from heat and set aside. Add remaining butter to skillet and cook cachapas until all batter has been used.
- Top with toppings of choice and serve to queso fresco.
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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This looks like a perfect lunch too. I’m always looking for new vegetarian dishes for lunch because I try not to eat meat until dinner. Since I’m married to a meat eating airborne army man, a meatless dinner isn’t an option ???? Once I suggested meatless Mondays and he said, “Sure, we can eat fish on those days.” Oy.
FAAAABULUSHISH.
I´m so excited, Venezuelan here! ♥ never taste with veggies but look sooo damn good.
The stories that accompany adventures are often as tasty as the recipes…. and yours is tops! Keep adventuring and sharing…and thanks.
Where have these guys been all my life? I love the idea of topping these with roasted root veggies and salty cheese for a Fall party!
Can I use masa arepa?
No, its not the same taste. Try using ¿canned? corn, liquefy with egg, a spoon of sugar and salt. Cook like pancakes ;)
sorry for my bad english. I´m venezuelan, speak spanish jejeje
For some reason when I saw our humble Venezuelan cachapa in your site I made a little awkward dance in my office. My best tip for cooking cachapas is topping them with a bit of butter after removing from the skillet they end up being more moist and yumi yumi and the cheese or cream is almost mandatory
I love this. Thanks for the butter tip!
Very interesting indeed! I have never heard of cachapas before, but I think I need to introduce them to my mouth ASAP. :)
Looks so good!
YUM. Want to eat.
I am all for these! I love that you made them mini too, so cute and perfect for the upcoming holiday season!
Hi guys! I’m from Venezuela too and I love to see that you like our food, is soo great! I’ve been following your blog for more than a year and I love everything you have done, I even made some of the recipes! I adore the cachapas and just like Aida said, the tradicional way to eat them is with queso telita (“layered” cheese), or queso de mano (hand cheese), or queso de trenza (braid cheese) or like she said: some fresh soft cheese (mozzarella-like). If you need some help or want to know other venezuelan dishes, just said so :)
These look so tasty and I love the vegetarian topping!
DELICIOUS! These are pretty and sound so fresh and tasty. I love your topping ideas and so glad you shared your experience with us — that guy sounds awesome! Totally going to try these at my next party!
I made some corn pancakes by accident once (trying to make tortillas) and they tasted awesome. I bet they would be even more delicious with the veggie topping. Such fresh and colourful pics!
Hi! i’m from Venezuela and it´s great to read that people from other countries also loves the Cachapas. The traditional way to eat them here is filled with butter or cream, and some fresh soft cheese (mozzarella-like) and folded in half, that´s all!
Enjoy!
Being a lover of anything corn (corn cakes, polenta, cornbread, corn on the cob), I think these sound amazing. I can see these with carnitas and queso fresco, too! Thanks for a lovely recipe!
The colour of these cachapas are just so beautiful and autumnal
I love that you have done a Venezuelan dish, I’m from Venezuela and I live in mexico to. The cachapas are great, sweet and soft. So lovely.
Lovely lovely! I can’t stand how cute and bite sized these are, along with that awesome story!