Cachapas (Venezuelan Corn Pancakes)

1. Preheat the oven to 95°C/75°C fan.
2. Add the crema, half the sweetcorn, eggs, sugar and salt to a blender and blend until evenly combined but still chunky. Add the arepa flour and remaining sweetcorn, then blend until a thick, even batter forms with pieces of corn still visible. Leave the batter to rest for a couple of minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan or flat griddle over a medium heat until warm and spray generously with cooking spray. Add two 60ml scoops of batter, spaced apart, to make 2 pancakes. Smooth each with the back of the measuring cup to form a pancake about 13cm wide, making sure the centre is thin and flat. The centre takes longer to cook, and if it is too thick the pancake will be much harder to flip. Cook until the undersides are very dark brown, almost black, about 5 minutes. While the pancakes cook, grate or slice the cheese, if necessary.
4. Flip the pancakes and top one with a quarter of the cheese. Cook until the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes, then place the second pancake on top of the cheese. Transfer to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven.
5. Make the remaining cachapas with the rest of the batter and cheese, wiping out the pan between batches and spraying generously with cooking spray each time. Once all the cachapas are filled with cheese, top each with about 7g butter and serve with crema on the side for dipping.

Cook’s Note

Look for arepa flour, queso duro and queso de mano in shops specialising in Latin American ingredients.