Maja Blanca Espesyal is a Filipino-style coconut pudding made extra delicious with evaporated and condensed milk. Sweet, creamy, and topped with latik, it's delicious as a snack or dessert.
One of the first recipes I posted here on Kawaling Pinoy is a simple version of maja blanca made of coconut milk, cornstarch, sugar, and toasted coconut. Although it's creamy and delicious and has satisfied my sweet cravings on many a night, I have to say it pales next to this special maja version which has an added creaminess from condensed and evaporated milk.
If you're looking for the ultimate dessert, this Filipino-style coconut milk dessert is your answer. With soft bites of luscious pudding generously studded with sweet corn kernels and topped with golden latik, you'll have guests lining up for more!
The recipe is simple and yields a huge 13 x 9 rectangular pan that is perfect for serving a large crowd. Or to enjoy all by yourself.
Difference from tibok-tibok
Although both are pudding desserts and are usually topped with latik, different ingredients give them distinct flavors and textures.ย While maja blanca is made of coconut milk and cornstarch, the Kapampangan tibok-tibok is made of carabao milk and rice flour.
Cooking tips
- Do not allow the milk mixture to come to a rapid boil lest it curdles or separates.
- To boost flavor, replace the water used to dissolve the cornstarch with the packing liquid in the canned corn kernels.
- When preparing the cornstarch slurry, add the cornstarch slowly into the water to make it easier to stir and dissolve.
- Remove the latik from the heat a shade lighter as it would continue to cook and brown in the residual heat.
- Allow to cool completely before covering with film as the escaping steam might create water puddles on top of the pudding.
How to serve and store
- This maja blanca espesyal is delicious as an after-meal dessert or midday snack. Enjoy a slice with latik or toasted coconut topping!
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
More maja desserts
Ingredients
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut cream
- 2 cans (13.5 ounces each) coconut milk
- 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
- 1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
- ยพ cup sugar
- 1 can (15 ounces) sweet kernel corn, drained
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ยฝ cup water
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, add coconut cream and bring to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid starts to thicken.
- Lower heat and simmer. As the oil starts to separate and solids begin to form, regularly stir and scrape sides and bottom of the pan to prevent from burning. Continue to cook and stir until curds turn golden brown.
- In a fine-mesh sieve, drain latik from the oil.
- Brush bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 baking dish with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a large pot, combine coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and sugar.
- Over medium heat, bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
- Add corn and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes
- In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch. Stir well until cornstarch is dissolved. Gently add cornstarch mixture into milk mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Continue to cook, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens to a thick paste.
- Transfer mixture into the prepared dish, smoothing top with a lightly oiled spatula or knife. Allow to slightly cool, cover and refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours or until completely cooled and set.
- Brush top with coconut oil and sprinkle latik on top. Cut into serving squares.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Amabelle says
Sooooo good! Thanks for sharing this recipe! <3
Ruth says
Hi Ms. Lalaine, I would like to try your Maja Blanca recipe as it sounds delicious. Can I use cream corn style instead of whole corn kernel? What would be the measurement then? Or can I just pour everything (including the creamy liquid part) in the mixture?
I would appreciate to hear from you at the soonest as I would like to try it asap. Thanks, Ruth
Lalaine says
Hello Ruth
I've never tried cream style corn for maja blanca but I don't see why it won't work. Yes, just dumped the whole content. I don't think it will make too much of a difference in the maja's consistency as cream style is pretty thick. If any, just add a little more cornstarch slurry. Let me know how it turns out. Happy cooking!
Mary Grace says
Good morning :).Would it give same results of consistency if corn flour instead of cornstarch ang gagamitin? Thanks
Lalaine says
Hello Mary Grace
I believe corn starch and corn flour are the same. Corn flour in the Philippines is called corn starch in the U.S.
veronica says
Hi. I really want to make this, but I just cook for two. Do I simply halve the amount of cornstarch along with the other ingredients? I don't know if all recipes work that way. I want it to set properly and still have the right texture.
Lalaine says
Hello Veronica
Yes, you halve the recipe. You can easily add more cornstarch slurry during cooking if the mixture is still thin. The maja blanca should thicken almost immediately.
ash says
Hello Ms. Lalaine.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've tried it and it was good. My family loved it. And for that, I was assigned to make maja for the upcoming blessing of our new house. My problem is that, how many ingredients will I use, for 100 people. I am not good at calculating when it comes to this.hahaha;) Please help.
Thanks for the response in advance. God bless.
Lalaine says
Hello Ash
I am glad everyone enjoyed the maja blanca. The recipe makes about 6 to 8 servings but these are hefty slices so for about 100 guests, I suggest multiplying 5 to 6x. This should be enough especially if you are serving other sweets and desserts. Hope this helps. Let me know if I can help you further.
Nica says
hi, I like your version Mam but is there any particular event or Festival to serve Maja Blanca?
Lalaine says
Hi Nica,
It's usually served on parties but no reason not to enjoy it any day ๐
Maria says
Hello there,
Thank you for your recipe! Though, it is very easy to follow, I too, also had problems with the maja blanca setting. While it was still good, I used one cup of cornstarch, it turned out like pudding ๐ Also, it was way too sweet for my taste. I would not have added more sugar to it.
Lalaine says
Hi Maria
I am sorry to hear the maja blanca didn't turn out well for you. I really am suprised as I tested this recipe many, many times and I make it a lot for parties with great results. I dont know why yours is still pudding consistency even when cooled as the mixture becomes very thick even just after you whisked in the cornstarch and it's still hot. It gets so thick even while I am pouring the cornstarch mixture, I can hardly whisk it. It will set more as it cools that you can cut it into squares. The only reason I can think of is maybe you used too much liquid? It should be 1 can evap (12 ounces), 1 can condensed (14 ounces), 2 cans coconut milk (14 ounces each which is about 3-1/2 cups) and 1/2 cup water to dilute the cornstarch. The 2 cups coconut cream is only to make latik and not added to the maja blanca mixture. Make sure sweet corn is drained from liquid. If this measurements are followed, I assure you the maja blanca will turn out nice and thick like the picture. With the amount of sugar, 3/4 cup was perfect for my taste but you can decrease that to suit yours. Hope this helps.
Newlywed says
Hi Ms. Lalaine! I love your website, truly a lot of help for a newly wed like me and no experience in cooking, haha. This recipe was really good however, even after refrigerating hindi siya naging matigas where you can actually cut it. Ung consistency malapot lang. Help please. First time bloopers. I followed the steps so not sure what went wrong. ๐
Lalaine says
Hello
I am sorry to hear about how your maja nlanca turned out. The reason it didnt set properly is most probably because of not enough cornstarch. Did you measure ingredients?
Newlywed says
I thought I did. But thanks for letting me know. It's still delicious though!
Lalaine says
The liquid measurements are very important for it to thicken properly with the cornstarch added. Was the mixture boiling? Because when it is very hot, the mixture will already thicken as you are adding the cornstarch slurry.
Shimi says
I just tried it yesterday. Recipe failed... It didnโt set... malambot...akalaq titigas pag nilagay sa ref,but still ganun padin.. I followed the measurements. Pwede kea iluto uli? Tapos dagdagan ng cornstarch? Sayang kz
Lalaine Manalo says
I am sorry to hear the recipe didn't work well for you. I am not sure why it didn't set when measurements were followed. I've made this recipe many times for parties using the same measurements and never had problems with it setting. Did you cook the mixture enough?
ivy says
Delisyoso.ansarap grabe.more recipe pls.do u bake cake?share ur recipe.tnx
Lalaine says
Thanks, Ivy. I am glad you enjoyed it. I m working on a few cake recipes and hopefully, be able to post them soon ๐
Michelle S. says
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. The maja blanca itself was delish...however, making the latik was kind of off. You stated to use coconut cream when it should have been coconut milk. There is a huge difference between the two, as I found out while making the latik. The coconut cream never separates thus causing it to turn into a darkened cream and not the latik. Hope you can make that correction and prevent future frustrations.
Lalaine says
Hello Michelle
I am sorry that the latik part of the recipe didnt turn out well for you. I understand the frustration of wasted time and ingredients when the recipe doesn't pan out as expected.
Please allow me to clarify a little bit of the making of latik. This maja blanca is so delicious I want your next attempt to be more successful.
Although you can certainly use coconut milk to make latik, I prefer to use coconut cream or kakang gata. As it is the first extraction, coconut cream/kakang gata has less water content and thus reduces faster than coconut milk. Also, as it is more concentrated, you can extract lot more coconut oil. Done right, the curd will separate from the oil, actually the latik will be swimming in a lot of coconut oil when it is done. For it to break into curds and not result to a browned clump, you need to start stirring and breaking the lump of coconut cream when it begins to thicken. Latik requires a bit of tending. Use a nonstick skillet over low heat and when the mixture begins to bubble, occasionally stir it so it breaks apart into curds. When the curds are golden brown, strain in a fine mesh sieve to draw out the oil.I hope this helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with this recipe. Thanks ๐
Pangkuy says
Leave the can of coconut milk undisturbed overnight. This will separate the cream from the mother liquor (or the other liquid components) then decant the cream to a pan for boiling.
emille says
Hi.ano pong brand ng coconut milk gamit nyo po? Thanks..
Lalaine says
Hi Emille
Wala akong specific brand na ginagamit, kahit anong lang naka-sale o pinakamura. I've tried Chaokah, Pamana brand ok naman ang resulta ๐
Marisol says
OMG!! That's all I've got to say. Made it for a Breakfast Club gathering from work and it flew!
People really raved about it. They said it was orgasmic! I got to be honest, I really never expected much from it but once I tasted it I confirmed myself of how scrumptious it was.
Definitely a HIT!!!!!!!!!
Lalaine says
Yay! I am glad everyone liked it. This is one of my favorite recipes, so yummy I can eat the whole pan! Thank you for the feedback, Marisol ๐
jona says
hi..i love to cook this maja blanca for our monthsary celebration..i invite some of my friends to share with us the special moment..i am hoping that they will love this recipe that i will add for the menu
thanks!!
Lalaine says
I hope the maja blanca was a success with your guests ๐
Lily K. Lorenzo says
I appreciate your kindness for sharing this maja blanca recipe. Do you think this is NOT too sweet due to the fact that you used 14oz of condensed milk and 3/4 cups of sugar? If you say that's the right measurement I will follow it, I just don't want the maja blanca to be extremely sweet. Thanks,
Lalaine says
hi Lily
I used about 4 cups of coconut milk and about 1-1/2 cups of evap as well so it kind of balanced out the amount of sugar. It tasted just right for me but please, feel free to use a little bit less if you like, try 1/2 cup.
Regina de Guzman says
Just want to share my experience when i first cook Maja Blanca, it was really good because i can make it for a living for a while, i tried to sell it before to my co-worker when I'm off from work for extra income, then i tried joining exhibits near the exclusive villages when i had a chance and it was really successful i guess, why? because from all the participants of the exhibit i can say that I'm the first one to sell all my goods for the day and some have to comeback for another slice, it was really a great experience....
Lalaine says
Wow! What a great experience indeed! Thank you for sharing, Regina ๐
John Michael Lim says
Great recipe to start the week! Have no idea before that maja blanca is as easy as 1-2-3. My mother will surely love this. Thanks for this, Lalaine!
Lalaine says
Yes, maja blanca is one of the simplest desserts ever. I hope you give this a try, your mom would surely appreciate a slice ๐