Arepa dominicana

Ingredients

Base

• 400 gfine yellow cornmeal
• 800 mlcoconut milk
• 400 mlevaporated milk
• 300 gsugar
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To flavour

• 2cinnamon sticks
• 6whole cloves
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• 1/2 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• 100 graisins, optional
• the zest of 1 lime

To enrich

• 100 gbutter, melted
• 2eggs, beaten, optional

To finish

• extra butter, for the top
• ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions

1. Use fine yellow cornmeal, not coarse polenta. Put the coconut milk and evaporated milk in a pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and the cloves. Bring it slowly to just below a simmer. Do not let the milk boil at all. Take it off the heat and cover it. Let it infuse for twenty minutes.
2. Strain out all of the whole spices. Put the cornmeal in a large bowl. Add the sugar and the salt to it. Pour in some of the warm infused milk. Whisk it into a smooth paste first. Starting with a paste is what prevents lumps.
3. Add the rest of the milk gradually. Whisk continuously as you pour. Add the vanilla, nutmeg and lime zest. Stir in all of the melted butter. Beat in the eggs if you are using them. Add the raisins if you want them. Pour the mixture into a heavy pot. Set the pot over a medium heat.
4. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon. It thickens within about ten minutes. Keep stirring through that thickening. Cook it until it pulls from the sides. It should be thick like a stiff porridge.
5. Heat the oven up to 180C for it. Butter a deep baking dish generously. Pour the thick mixture into the dish. Spread it level with a wet spatula.
6. Bake it for about forty-five minutes. The top should be deep golden brown. Finish it briefly under a hot grill for more colour. Leave it in the dish on a rack.
7. Let it cool for several hours. Cutting it warm gives a collapsed slab. Cut it with a knife dipped in hot water. Dust ground cinnamon over the top. It keeps four days at room temperature.

Technique

• The word arepa in the Dominican Republic refers to this sweet baked cake and not to the griddled maize bread of Venezuela and Colombia.
• The traditional caldero method, with coals above and below, is an old way of baking without an oven.

Substitutions

• Fresh milk can replace evaporated milk, though the cake will be less rich.
• Tinned coconut milk works well throughout.

Variations

• Some households add sweet potato to the batter.
• A version with more raisins and rum is made at Christmas.
• Arepa de maiz is another name used for essentially the same cake.

History

Nothing to do with the Venezuelan arepa; this is a dense sweet cake cut in slices for parties and wakes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arepa dominicana?

Arepa dominicana is a dessert from Dominican Republic: sweet cornmeal and coconut milk cake baked with coals above and below. Nothing to do with the Venezuelan arepa; this is a dense sweet cake cut in slices for parties and wakes.

How long does Arepa dominicana take to make?

Arepa dominicana takes 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one tray, 16 slices. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Arepa dominicana?

Yes, within limits. Fresh milk can replace evaporated milk, though the cake will be less rich. Tinned coconut milk works well throughout.

What is the most important thing to get right in Arepa dominicana?

Use fine yellow cornmeal, not coarse polenta. Put the coconut milk and evaporated milk in a pot. Add the cinnamon sticks and the cloves. Bring it slowly to just below a simmer. Do not let the milk boil at all. Take it off the heat and cover it. Let it infuse for twenty minutes.