They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I say, that in this case, it’s just delicious.

Anyone who has ever had the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes at the popular chain restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, has tasted just a little piece of heaven.

The first time I had their sweet corn tamale cakes, I was with my mother for a day of shopping and fun. I ordered them out of my sheer love of anything remotely Mexican in flavor, and decided that they were a better reason for dining at that establishment than its infamous dessert. Every. Single. Visit. since, I have ordered the Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes as my entree.

Bearing this in mind, you can understand why I simply just HAD to find a recipe that replicated these delicious morsels. You would think it would not have taken me so long, but somehow, in my head, this meal had become legendary. Then, the other day, whilst craving this dish, I simply remembered to Google it. I cam across a few versions and ultimately settled for the recipe I am about to share.

Shockingly easy, Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes will hit the spot. They are rich and delicious. I opted to not attempt their accompanying sauces, as I already had some salsa to use. I might attempt that later, but a little salsa verde or tomato salsa is just fine.

The real test was when my husband and I sat down for lunch. My husband has had the experience of learning to cook Mexican food from his birth father’s mother. She is a full-blooded Mexican woman, who speaks not a lick of English. And, on that note, my husband makes the most amazing Mexican food I’ve ever had. When we first met, we both fell in love with the fact that we both shared Mexican food as our favorite cuisine. To this day, we eat some form of Mexican food at least three times a week. Seeing him go back for seconds the other day, cemented my review of this recipe. It is simply delicious.

Much less work than any tamale recipe, and equally as tasty, I present to you a copycat of The Cheesecake Factory’s ever-so-delightful Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes.

• 3 cups frozen sweet corn
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup masa harina (corn flour, not to be substituted with corn meal!)
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a food processor, puree the corn until is resembles creamed corn. It should be completely mashed and pureed.
3. Add softened butter, salt, and sugar, and continue to process.
4. Add the masa harina and the all-purpose flour and mix thoroughly. At this point, the dough should resemble that of a loose chocolate chip cookie dough. Add more masa if needed, but do so sparingly.
5. Using a cookie dough baller, or with whatever method works best for you, drop small balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. You can, if you wish, form them into patties, but it is more rustic to just treat them like cookies.
6. Bake about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Repeat until all of the cakes have been cooked.

This recipe is best when made fresh. It takes so little time that it is easy to make right before serving. Reheating isn’t recommended, and the dough will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

I plan on serving these at my upcoming Superbowl party, alongside white chicken chili, instead of cornbread. One of my guests has Celiac disease and this will provide all of us with a tasty starch that is gluten free. I should note, however, that to make it entirely gluten free, I will sub out the AP flour for a gluten-free flour, such as potato. Because this recipe uses the AP flour as an additional starch, it won’t change the taste or the consistency noticeably.