Last Updated on December 6, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Pain Mais Haitian Cornbread with banana and coconut has a steamed pudding consistency and is just as much had for breakfast as dessert.
This delicious treat is one of the many ways you can explore Haitian cuisine. How about adding some more Haitian Food Recipes to the repertoire?
Check out my collection of Haitian Recipes here.
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Are you still stumped to add something new to your holiday table this year? I hope these Caribbean desserts this week are inspiring you to complete that holiday menu already!
Haitian Food
I am so happy to present Pain Mais – Haitian Cornbread to you. Since I am 1/2 Haitian, I am always happy to present these foods that have such nostalgia for me. They bring back memories of family parties in some rented hall (nobody’s house was big enough to accommodate everyone) with a bunch of “cousins” running around and playing.
To be honest, most of them weren’t my cousins, but cousins of my cousin. When you come from a large family, for some reason, no matter how distantly someone may be related – everybody’s a cousin.
Tables of food laid out with Djon Djon (Mushroom Rice), Poulet (Stew Chicken), Lambi (Stewed Conch), Griot (Double Fried Pork), Rice & Sauce Pois (Red Bean Sauce) and Salade Betteraves (Potato Beet Salad) and either Pain Patate (Sweet Potato Bread) or Pain Mais.
Check out how easy it is to make vegetarian Salade Betteraves – Haitian Potato Beet Salad
Now to today’s recipe of Pain Mais – Haitian Cornbread …
All Caribbean islands have a version of this type of sweet bread. Although it is baked in the oven, it has the consistency similar to a British style steamed pudding – almost like Spotted Dick.
On most English speaking islands, it is called pone and usually either made with cassava (yuca), pumpkin, sweet potato, cornmeal or breadfruit. You can try out the Dutch Caribbean version called Bojo recipe here, made with cassava.
However in Haiti, Pain Mais, when translated, is Cornbread, however, this is no resemblance to American style cornbread.
Whether you call it bread, cake or pudding, I call it delicious!
If you would like to know more about the many varieties of gluten free cornmeal that there are and how to utilize them all in your kitchen, check out this post here to learn all about Cornmeal, Polenta, Grits & more.
It is quite dense, however soft and moist. We often eat it for breakfast with coffee and fruit, as well as for dessert.
It is soft and spongy and filled with Caribbean spices!
This large tray is big enough to satisfy everyone at your holiday party!
TO REMEMBER
Pain Mais has an almost pudding like consistency. It will NOT have the consistency of American cornbread.
Now let’s see what you will need to make delicious Haitian style cornbread!
Ingredients
- all purpose flour
- cornmeal
- dessicated coconut
- baking powder
- freshly grated nutmeg
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground star anise
- butter
- salt
- sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs
- bananas
- evaporated milk
- coconut milk
- rum (optional)
Pain Mais – Haitian Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 cup dessicated coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground star anise
- 1 cup softened butter 2 sticks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
- 2 eggs
- 2 mashed bananas
- 12 oz. can evaporated milk
- 13.5 oz. can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon rum
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 11×7 rectangle baking dish with non stick spray.
- In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, coconut, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and star anise. Stir to combine and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, salt and sugar.
- Mix for a few minutes until well blended and creamy.
- Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined, after each egg.
- Add bananas, evaporated milk, coconut milk and rum. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 1 hour, until a tester inserted comes out clean.
Notes
- Leftovers should be refrigerated.
- It is best eaten warm. Simply reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Use canned coconut milk. Carton coconut milk is thinner and will not yield the same result.
Nutrition
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Its wonderful to read about your family Mir, with so many cousins, it must have surely been fun! Your bread or rather cake looks so good..:)
It’s good no matter what you call it
Cake for breakfast !!..awesome, well if you are with family one can enjoy just about anything..the cake looks great.
thank you – it is not super sweet so you won’t feel too guilty!
I totally agree… when you have large families, all are cousins! Hehe… that cake looks so delicious, I would surely not mind having that for breakfast…
yep – I like being part of a large family!
I come from a big family too and I know cousin’s cousins 🙂 The bread/cake/pudding looks very delicious. I am sure the whole extended family can enjoy this.
yes – this is definitely a great one for a big family party!
Your family sounds like my husband’s and can understand the fun being a part of large family. This bread sounds like it can become the center attraction despite of it’s simple looks.
yes – there’s always lots of people around – it’s definitely always a fun time!
Reading through this post reminds me of fun time we used to have in childhood with cousin when there is some occasion or weddings. I need those days back now. BTW your bread looks so soft and it has amazing texture
yes its so sad when now we so rarely get together with our extended families
Interesting. The bread looks so moist and flavourful with all the spices gone into it with the addition of banana. I love such flavourful breads and will soon try my hand at it.
This cornbread is so wondrously flavored. Can feel the flavors of cinnamon, star anise, banana…. Coconut milk surely gives an enhanced suppleness. I am loving it!! You have very well woven the warmth of this recipe around the context of family’s emotional bonds. Will surely try it.
Totally can understand the part of families getting together in a hall and cousins of cousins being my cousins too. That is how I grew up, with extended families getting together. As for the pain de Mais, such a unique dish full of flavors. Will try this one out soon as I love both coconut and banana in a baked product. All those tips will come in handy when I make it.
I am sure you are going to love it with all of those tropical flavors
Totally remember those days when cousins of cousins were just cousins and the ties still remain. Unfortunately, my kids never did have that opportunity! Love the pain mais is definitely a flavourful dessert not only does it have the flavour of the ingredients it is so full of love and memories. Love it Mir will love to serve it when the girls come home for their break!
It’s so sad that families get together less frequently now – not sure why…