Cachapas – Venezuelan Corn Flatbread with Cheese

If you have been on my blog before, you probably know that I have a lot of corn flatbread recipes from Colombia and Venezuela on here, they are normally called arepas. Today I am going to introduce you to the gluten-free version that is made with sweet corn and is filled with cheese. In Venezuela these are called cachapas, in Colombia arepas de choclo. The Spanish word for sweet corn is choclo, hence the name. Normally the sweet corn is cooked and directly cut off the cob, however, I decided to go for canned corn as in Germany usually only sweet corn is sold. I had tried already once to make cachapas, however, I was not completely happy yet. But then I had the privilege to eat cachapas at my husband’s cousin again. Her husband is Venezuelan, so obviously he knew exactly how to make them. Of course I immediately asked her for the recipe, which she happily let me know. So I set to it and guess what, they tasted marvelous, so I finally felt OK to share the recipe here. So let’s make cachapas with cheese filling!

You can also make the cachapas and melt the cheese on the top if you find the procedure described below too complicated

Print Recipe

Venezuelan Cachapas - Corn Flatbread with Cheese Filling

Serves: For 3 cachapas, this should be sufficient as breakfast for two people

Prep Time: 10min – Cooking Time: 15min – Total Time: 25min

Venezuelan cachapas are a gluten-free flatbread made from sweet corn and then filled with cheese.

Ingredients

• 150 grams of corn from a can
• 1 egg
• 50 grams of cornflour
• 80 grams of heavy cream or milk, depending on consistency additional water
• Salt to taste
• Optional: some sugar
• Good melting cheese like mozzarella

Instructions

1

Drain the corn and add to a food processor with the remaining ingredients except for the cheese. Add sugar and salt to your liking. If the batter is extremely thick, add a bit of water to thin out.

2

Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan, add about 3 tablespoons of batter in it and create a large pancake. Try to make it nice and round with the spoon. Then add cheese in the middle of it and spread another tablespoon of batter on top to cover the cheese. Fry on medium heat for a few minutes, you want to be sure that the first side baked thoroughly. Once ready, flip over and also fry the second side for a few minutes. The cachapa pictured in the featured photo should have been fried a bit longer, they are soft, but you should be able to eat with your hands. Serve immediately.

If you are interested in more arepa recipes, check this out:

Arepa – the basic recipe, gluten-free and vegan

Filled arepas with chicken and guacamole

Arepa de queso – similar to the one here, however, not made with sweetened corn

Arepa de Boyaca – thick and slightly sweet arepas

Arepa with plantains

Arepas are often served for breakfast, usually with scrambled eggs and freshly pressed juice