Cornmeal Pone – An easy yet indulgent Caribbean dessert made with Ccrnmeal and topped with coconut sauce baked until the the top is bubbly. One bite and you are in the tropics. Moist, decadent and simply delicious!!! Go grab a spoon.
When it’s dessert time – and that’s quite often in my household – I think enjoyment is Numero Uno on my list. Yes! Number one priority.
It’s really quite possible to make something completely different that is pleasantly enjoyable too!
Guys meet your new favorite dessert – Cornmeal Pudding Pone.
Not quite a pudding not quite a cake but totally addictive.
Make this when you have company. And I’m not kidding when I said I ate almost half of it. Now I have to pay the price- but it’s worth every bite.
Cornmeal pudding pone is a beloved Caribbean dessert enjoyed throughout the West Indies especially in Jamaica. It’s made primarily with corn meal, coconut milk and spiced with all the great flavors associated with the Caribbean flavors, allspice, cinnamon, rum and nutmeg – a really interesting tropical delight.
This Caribbean dessert is made sometimes with a soft top – meaning towards the last 30 minutes of baking you add a blend of sugar and coconut milk to the top.
Here, I added half the amount and reserved the rest to serve with the pudding. So you don’t really get a soft top – feel free to go all out with the full amount.
I tried this recipe with and without pre-cooking the cornmeal – definitely like the one that has been pre-cooked. Shortens the cooking time and tastes way better.
As always rum is optional and is not really that overwhelming – the final product contains very negligible amounts of it.
Enjoy!!!
Cornmeal Pudding Pone
Ingredients
- 4 ounce (100 grams) butter
- 2 cup (14 ounce can 450 ml) Coconut Milk
- 4 cups (1 liter) whole milk
- ¾- 1 (165-220 grams) cup brown sugar
- 1 cup (200 grams) white sugar
- 3 teaspoons spices , nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice
- 3 cups (450 grams) cornmeal
- ½ cup (64 grams ) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons or more dark rum , optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence , optional
- ½ cup raisins
Coconut Sauce
- 1 cup (225 ml) coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) brown sugar
- 2 ounce (57 grams) butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 10- inch baking pan and set aside.
- In a large sauce- pan add butter, coconut milk, milk, sugar, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil. Remove coconut milk mixture from the heat.
- In a large bowl combine cornmeal, flour and salt, then add a cup of water and stir. You may add rum and vanilla at this point, if desired.
- Scoop out some coconut milk mixture and add to the cornmeal mixture about a cup at a time until mixture is smooth (you might have to add about 2-3 cups).
- Gradually whisk in cornmeal mixture to the saucepan, a little at a time while stirring with a whisk to prevent any lumps.
- Now return the cornmeal mixture to the sauce- pan. Bring to boil and simmer continue stirring frequently- for about 6-8 minutes, to prevent lumps and burns.
- Remove from heat add about 1/2 cup raisins . Pour or scoop out mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 60 minutes or a toothpick inserted turns out clean.
- Serve with coconut sauce.
- Soft Top
- In a small saucepan combine 1-cup coconut milk, ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup butter. Let it melt and simmer for about 2 minutes. Set-aside until ready to use.
- If making a soft top remove cornmeal pone from oven after 30 minutes of cooking , prick cornmeal with a tooth pick and pour about ½ or all the coconut sauce mixture to the pan.
- Return to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes more or until a tooth inserted comes out clean and the top is bubbly.
- Let it cool before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Felicia says
What do you mean “ if you want a soft top “ if preference is to not have soft what would the step be ? Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
A soft top is baked with coconut sauce on top. It is optional.
Yvonne Doyle says
I love this Recipe so much. I am going to try it. looks good.
ImmaculateBites says
Do let us know how it works out for you.
Pheadra says
To the author thank you for trying traditional Caribbean diahes. As a Caymanians/Jamaican this was one of our many traditional cakes and very very filling especially when you are poor and there are plenty mouths to feed. But I want to give you the Caribbean secret to making this even more awesome even though I know most people can’t do this but in case you find a way. The pudding like most Caribbean cakes will come out with nice crispy “corners” (yes even if the cake is round) or endy as we call it. Bake it on an outside fire in a cast iron pot. If you have a coal grill then that can work. Set up your fire with coal, small wood sticks (we call them bramble), pieces of dried coconut husk thrash (not garbage – it’s what we call it) and brown paper for a good long burn till there is plenty of ashes. Then add more of all the same again to get another good burn going. Then using a stick or whatever create a hole in the ashes and fire leaving a little on the bottom of the hole for the pot to sit on. After you make your pudding mixture and put it in your dutchie (cast iron pot) then cover the pot securely with the lid and place it in the fire hole. Then push the coal, wood etc back around the pt 3/14 way up or to where the top of the pudding mixture reach. Then take some of the lighted bramble and ashes and coal and put it on the top of the cover. That will help cook it evenly. You don’t need to keep that fire blazing or you will burn the cake. Just keep it good and every once in a while move around the coals etc to let air in to heat the rest. We usually eyeball the time but I would say the same time as the oven might be good. But throughout we normally lift the cover off with a long fork or something (carefully to scrape the ash and fire off the edges so they don’t fall in) and we baste the cake as it bakes with the coconut milk mixture to keep it moist and glazed. Now when the time up ( check the edges na too burnt but need to have a slight burnt crisp edge lol) then you know it should be ready. Dig the pot out the fire and put oneside to cool down. You can make that fire in the ground or any kind of pit. Sorry this was long but for those who like trying different ways I hope you enjoy. If you do email me on pheadra1974@gmail.com and let me know. Enjoy. Merry Christmas. Be safe.
ImmaculateBites says
Great Tips!!
Hélène says
This is delicious and unlike any dessert I usually have. I put about 40% of the recommended amount of sugar, which was enough for me. It’s perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee!
Imma Adamu says
that’s so true! the perfect partner with coffee <3
Enita says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It came out perfect. It is delicious.
Imma Adamu says
Thank you, Enita!
I’m so glad you liked it
Claudette says
I made it using following your recipe and it was delicious as my mother used to make it. Thank you. This will be my go to recipe.
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! I am so glad you love this recipe, Claudette!
Earl Hendricks says
Can this cornmeal pudding go bad?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Earl! You can keep the left-overs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or you can freeze for up to 2 months.
Maria says
I put the sauce on half way through and the pone has turned so wet. Wetter than when I took it out half way through. What shall I do ?
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry to hear about that . It shouldn’t be that way. Did you let it cook for the recommended length of time? I can’t say for sure without actually being there… So many variables
Pheadra says
I would keep baking a little longer. Normally we just keep basting with the sauce after it starts to firm up so it gets like a topping
Permafrost says
Delicious! I was glad that this recipe was egg-free, the other ones I found weren’t.
-I didn’t have enough milk or count milk, but just made up the difference with water, and it turned out amazing anyway (2 cups coconut milk, 1.5 cups milk, 3.5 cups water).
-I boiled the butter, sugar, salt and spices withe the milks and only mixed 2 cups of water with the flour and cornmeal.
-I added the rest of the water gradually to wash the batter out of my bowl, and to loosen the mixture in the pot if it thickened too quickly.
-I poured it all into a 13 x 9 glass dish, and sprinkled raisins over half the dish only (kids are picky but I want raisins!)
This was a great recipe and I’ll be saving it for future use. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
I love raisins too! I will definitely try this out with raisins. Thanks for sharing all the tips too!
Ad says
Excited about making this recipe as part of a Jamaican feast for friends. What size cake pan or baking tin did you use for recipe?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello ,
I used a 10 inch springform baking pan.
Kay says
Can I use a regular 10” baking pan? Only have that and a 8” spring foam pan.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Kay. Yes, you can use a regular 10″ baking pan. Since it is not a spring foam pan, and given the soft top, when it is time to serve you would have to cut the pudding while it is still in the pan. Or, Let it cool then lay a flat plate over the top of the cake pan and Carefully flip it over onto the plate. Bang on the bottom of the pan and then lift the pan off. Hope this helps 🙂 .
Michele Scott-Akanbi says
Thanks great recipe, as I can not remember how my mum use to make it. Next time I will read the reviews first, as came out far too sweet but looks amazing.
Indra Deosaran says
Can you use only whole milk for this recipe? I normally use 1% milk but I also have carnation milk.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can,
Melissa says
I don’t think the conversions to grams are correct which meant when I tried making this it came out too sweet. One cup = 128 grams whereas the receipt says 1 cup of white sugar is 200 grams. I will do the cup conversion myself next time and let you know how it goes
imma africanbites says
Hi, Melissa. Sorry to hear that. 1 cup of (granulated) white sugar is 200 g. Perhaps that conversion that you have there is for the powdered sugar which is finer in texture compared to the granulated white sugar.
Sophia says
This recipe looks amazing! However my Japanese family are a little sensitive to sweet desserts. Do you think I could reduce the sugar a bit without changing the overall flavour and texture too much?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you sure can. Feel free to adjust sugar to taste.
Tanya says
I’m confused by the coconut milk measurements. It
Says 2 cups but also says 14 oz can. So am I using 1 14oz can? But 2 cups is 16oz.
Maureen says
Made this last night and it is delish! So moist. My question is to serve the rest the next day how would you recommend reheating?
ImmaculateBites says
I usually reheat in the oven at 300 degrees , until it warms up.
Pheadra says
Or just take it out early and let it get to room temperature if you are in a warm environment. If not you can microwave for a few minutes (not much).