Tamal cupcakes? Have you read the words ‘tamal’ and ‘cupcakes’ together before?
Probably not. Tamales are a typical dish in many Latin American countries. Yet, it’s not too common to find adaptations or new versions of them.
A few years ago, I created this recipe to compete at Del Real Foods Blogger Recipe Challenge.
Currently, we are still avoiding meetings and parties. Yet, we can still enjoy the company of our closest ones at home.
This recipe is great for many occasions and will make an easy, yet heartwarming dish.
I love tamales. I’ve grown eating them since I was a little kid and still drool every year whenever I get to try one. However, not many people share my joy for tamales (surprisingly) – they say they look “ugly,” or have too much dough or make up a weird excuse. If you are that person or know someone like that…SHOW THEM THESE TAMAL CUPCAKES!
Tamal not tamale
These tamal cupcakes will make any tamal-hater LOVE tamales. And yes, it’s TAMAL CUPCAKES and not “tamale cupcakes”.
“Tamale” is a made-up word that English-speakers use, and though close in sound to the original ancestral Nahuatl “tamalli”, it’s not how you call a singular tamal. Granted, people may use “tamale” because who eats just one? But let’s not forget:
Plural = tamales. One: tamal. Tamal cupcakes or cupcakes de tamal, not tamale.
Enough, basta! Let’s get to the recipe shall we?
Let’s make some delicious tamal cupcakes!
I made these cupcakes with tamal dough. I used already-made and steamed tamales, because it was fast and easy. However, you could make the tamales from scratch.
For the inside, you can use whichever meat you prefer. I had Del Real Foods’ Chicken Tinga and Barbacoa meats and both tasted delicious.
If you’d like to stay on the safe side, you can also try it with some regular shredded chicken! Just try not to add too much salsa or sauce inside, so your tamal cup stays firm.
And just like any regular cupcakes, these ones have toppings! In their case our frosting will be crema (sour cream) and our sprinkles a mix of shredded cotija cheese and chopped cilantro.
Let it snow! And, by the way, if you’re enjoying this recipe you can check more of my favorite ones here. In the recipe card below, you will find step by step directions and the ingredients I used.
Ta-da! The finished product doesn’t look like a tamal at all right? Perfect way to introduce this wonderful delicacy to those non-believers!
Enjoy tamales in a new, beautiful way!
Tamal Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes (Masa & Fillings)
- 5 Del Real Foods Chicken Tamales in Green Sauce, steamed and mashed
- 2 tsps of vegetable oil
- 2 tsps of baking powder
- 2 cups of your choice of meat filling (I included Del Real Foods’ Chipotle Chicken Tinga and Barbacoa meats)
- Cooking spray
Toppings
- 1 tsp of sour cream / Mexican crema per cupcake
- 1 cup of Cotija cheese (shredded)
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F
- Prep your cupcake pans with cooking spray
- Release tamales from husks and put them into a big bowl. Smash them together, mixing in the vegetable oil and baking powder. Here you can add any seasonings if you’d like. Dough should hold together when you squeeze it with your hand
- Grab small balls of tamal dough or “masa” (about ¼ of a cup each) and place one on each well of your cupcake pan. Now press down the masa on each well with your fingers, to evenly create a thin-to-medium thick layer on the bottom and sides of the wells.
- Stick your pan inside the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until the masa crust looks firm, like it’s holding still.
- Now take the pan out of the oven and add about 2 tablespoons of your desired filling, try not to include too much salsa if you have meat in a sauce, and don’t overfill the cupcakes.
- Bring the pan back to the oven to cook for another 10-15 minutes until the tamal cupcakes' crust looks golden brown.
- Take out your pan and let it cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully release each cupcake after that.
- Add your toppings! First add a dollop of crema / sour cream. Finally, sprinkle your tamal cupcakes with some cotija cheese and chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
ENJOY THE FIESTA!
That is cheating if you are just repurposing tamales
Well, why is it “cheating”? It’s just a fun way to serve them 🙂