Sweet Cinnamon Tamal

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 1/2 cups masa harina (masa flour), preferably Bob’s Red Mill
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
• 4 ears of corn, husked, kernels removed, or 4 cups frozen, thawed
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup raw or demerara sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 2/3 cup crumbled queso fresco, plus more for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat an 8x8" metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Whisk masa, baking powder, salt, and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a medium bowl.
2. Pulse corn kernels in a blender or food processor until very coarsely puréed, just a few seconds should do it.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and raw sugar until pale and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in corn purée and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in dry ingredients; mix until batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape into prepared pan and cover tightly with foil. Set baking pan inside a large roasting pan; pour in boiling water to come halfway up sides of baking pan.
4. Bake tamal until top springs back when lightly pressed and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 75–85 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan before serving.
5. Mix crème fraîche and 2/3 cup queso fresco in a small bowl. Scoop tamal onto plates and top with crème fraîche mixture, more queso fresco, and a dusting of cinnamon.