Maja Blanca (Filipino Coconut Corn Pudding)

Maja Blanca is a creamy Filipino coconut pudding, typically served for the holidays or as a light snack!

My mom loves corn, truly. Some of her favorite desserts exclusively stars corn in them, such as Mais con Yelo (Filipino shaved ice and corn) and this Maja Blanca.

Maja Blanca would be her go-to dessert to bring for any potluck, especially during the holiday seasons. She’d always come home with an empty tray since everyone absolutely ate it up!

This recipe was tasted and approved by mom herself, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

What is Maja Blanca?

Maja Blanca is a Filipino coconut corn pudding, typically served for the holidays (e.g., Christmas, New Years) or for fiestas.

On other normal days, Filipinos would eat this for dessert or as a midday snack with a cup of coffee or tea!

This dessert was a Filipino adaptation of Manjar Blanco, a Spanish dish that used almond milk rather than coconut milk.

Depending on how you cook it, the texture can also vary drastically. Traditionally, this dish sets firm in the fridge, but is soft and creamy enough to be scooped with a spoon. Think of a texture similar to panna cotta or thick gelatin.

Some modern variations of Maja Blanca are a bit more creamy and pudding-like. You can achieve that same texture by simply reducing the cooking time or even adding less starch into the mix!

Ingredients

Coconut milk: This will make up the base of our Maja Blanca. Good quality coconut milk is always the best to use, such as the Aroy-D brand. If you have access to fresh coconut milk, that’s even better.

Cornstarch: To give our dessert that thick, pudding-like texture, we’ll use a good amount of cornstarch.

Some recipes will have you use closer to one cup (or even two), but I personally found those a little too starchy in terms of taste and texture!

Fresh milk: You can use whole milk or fat-free for this. We’ll be using the milk to dissolve the cornstarch in order to make a slurry.

Condensed milk: One of my favorite ingredients. Condensed milk will not only deepen the milky taste of the dessert, but it will also give an added richness and sweetness to our Maja Blanca.

White sugar: This is technically optional, but I’ve included this in case you prefer your dessert to be a bit more on the sweeter side. I’d recommend starting with the condensed milk first and adding extra white sugar if needed to meet your desired sweetness.

Salt: A little salt always goes a long way in desserts. This will help accentuate the flavors of the Maja Blanca and will mildly offset the sharp sweetness of the condensed milk.

Corn: You’ll need two types of corn for this recipe: whole corns and creamed/puréed corn. The whole corns will provide the visual appeal and textural aspect, while the creamed corn will further intensify the corn flavor throughout!

Cream: My mom’s secret to making an extra creamy Maja Blanca is by adding either heavy cream or Filipino all-purpose cream. It’s not a total deal-breaker if you omit this ingredient, but it makes the dessert a whole lot richer.

Coconut flakes: As a finisher, you can add toasted coconut flakes for added flavor and crunch. You can also replace this with Latik (toasted coconut curd) or even grated processed cheese (e.g., Eden).

Instructions

In a large, deep pot, pour in the coconut milk, condensed milk, heavy cream, whole corns, cream-style corn, and salt. Mix well to combine and bring the mixture to a boil.

Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium. Stirring constantly, gently pour in the cornstarch-milk mixture. Mix well to evenly distribute the starch throughout to avoid any clumps.

Continue to cook the Maja Blanca for 25-30 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning. You should know it’s done when the pudding is no longer runny and it has a slight “jiggle” when moved.

Pour the Maja Blanca into a heat safe container and smooth out the top. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set and firm up.

To serve, cut into small squares. Top with a generous serving of the toasted coconut, enjoy!

Tips

Cook the Maja Blanca to your desired consistency: Traditionally, this dessert is meant to be eaten as firm, set pudding. You can achieve this by cooking the pudding longer on the stove. This is because as it cooks, the water content begins to evaporate, making it thicker. Alternatively, you can create a more creamy, softer version by cooking it less.

• Soft, creamy version: Cook for about 10-15 minutes.

• Traditional version: Cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until paste-like and no longer sticky or runny

Mix well: Similar to Ube Halaya, this dessert requires lots of mixing. Mixing ensures that the bottom doesn’t burn, and that your dessert remains evenly consistent in texture and taste throughout.

Customize your toppings: The toppings added to this dessert not only provide an added flavor, but it gives a textural element as well. The three most popular toppings you can use include toasted coconut shreds, processed cheese, or latik (toasted coconut curds).

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Why didn’t my Maja Blanca firm up?

There are usually two main reasons. Firstly, either the cornstarch you used was bad/expired, or second, you didn’t cook the pudding long enough.

While I put a set amount of time (30-40 minutes) in the recipe, this was based off of my own stove set over medium heat. What worked for me may not necessarily work on other household stoves!

As a general rule of thumb my mother taught me when making this dessert: If the pudding begins to slide off the pan and your spatula (i.e., it’s no longer sticky or runny) and it makes a sort of “jiggling” motion when mildly shaken, then you know it’s ready.

Another trick you can do is placing a small amount of your pudding on a plate and letting it set in the fridge for a couple minutes. If it comes out as firm, you know your batch is ready to be chilled.

How do I store this?

You can store Maja Blanca for about 3-4 days in the fridge, covered with a lid to reduce oxygenation. At room temperature, it can only last for about 1 day.

I would not suggest freezing this, as it can drastically alter the taste and texture of it once thawed.

Can I add other flavorings to this?

You can! Though I haven’t personally tried, I’ve seen some variations where they’d add about a teaspoon of use extract, pandan extract, or vanilla.

Looking for more tasty desserts for this season? Check out some of these:

• Buko Pandan
• Biko (Filipino Sticky Rice Cake)
• Puto (Filipino Steamed Rice Cake)
• Ube Champorado