Mini Corn Cakes with Green Chilies

   I’ve made 2 versions of these now and I think these sweet little pillows of heavenly goodness are right on! I had found an old recipe on the internet that called for a cake mix and a muffin mix and made them that way first last year. But I just didn’t care for them all that much. They tasted like gritty cake and nothing like corn muffins. I really was wanting more of a corn muffin to go along with my homemade chili. So I doubled the corn muffin mix, added creamed sweet corn, a pinch of cinnamon, chopped green chilies, some dried onion, and adjusted the amount of milk to accommodate the extra liquid and they were wonderful!! I had a hard time staying out of the batter!! I guess about the only other thing you could add would be some cheddar or pepper jack cheese, but honestly, they really don’t need anything else at all! And they might end up a little too moist. So if you do try them and add cheese, I wouldn’t go overboard with it.

   These babies were a huge hit at the Chili Cook-Off  my husband and I entered at a nearby local town. They went so fast, though, that next year I’m definitely going to have to double them! A lot of people said I should’ve been selling these! Even the kids loved them. (I was curious to see if they’d mind the green chilies in them, and surprisingly, they scarfed them down so fast I don’t think they even noticed them in there!) We had a blast and are excited to go back again next year!

MINI CORN CAKES with GREEN CHILIES

2 (8.5 oz.) boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 (14  3/4 oz.) can creamed corn

2 tsp. dried minced onion

1 (15.25 oz.)  box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Mix

1 cup water

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 (7 oz.) can or 2 (4.5 oz.) cans chopped green chilies, undrained

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, mix corn muffin mixes, eggs and milk according to package directions. Fold in creamed corn and dried minced onion. Set aside to rest.

In large mixer bowl, add cake mix, oil, water, eggs and cinnamon. Mix according to package directions. Fold in green chilies. Fold corn muffin batter into cake batter until well combined with a large spatula. 

Spray mini muffin pans with butter-flavored cooking spray. I used 3 1/2 pans. You can always do separate batches. With a 1/4 measuring cup for ease, scoop batter into muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake in 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes until golden. (*Check after 15 if your oven tends to run hot. And turn trays halfway through baking time if your oven bakes unevenly.)

Let cool on wire racks 5-10 minutes before removing from pans. I used a regular teaspoon (not a measuring spoon, but an eating spoon) to run around the edges and pop out. They all came out very easily and didn’t stick a bit. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. I used my old Tupperware rectangular cake carrier and they all fit perfectly. (Paper towel on the bottom and between layers worked really well, but you could also use waxed paper.) 

Makes 83-86 mini corn cakes.