Dominican Arepa [Recipe + Video] Cornmeal and Coconut Cake (2024)

En Español Recipe ↆ Video ↆ

Why we ❤️ it

What is arepa? Well, the answer will very well depend on who you ask, and where they came from [1, 2]. Let's start with Dominican arepa, this beloved, spiced dessert that we absolutely rave about.

What's Dominican arepa?

In the Dominican Republic, Arepa is a dense, unleavened cornmeal and coconut cake traditionally prepared in a Dutch oven on top of hot charcoal. A metal lid is placed on the pot, then more red-hot charcoal is put on the lid. This led to the expression "como la arepa: fuego por arriba y fuego por abajo" (like arepa: fire below, fire above), meaning being in a crossfire, or unsustainable situation.

Arepa is a popular dish, and loved by all, but is considered one of those poor man's dishes: the ingredients are inexpensive, the cooking does not require great expertise, and it can be made with basic utensils. A savory version known as arepa salada is also popular as a breakfast or dinner dish.

Torta or arepa?

In most of the country, arepa is a name reserved for the Dominican cake we all know and love. But to complicate matters, in the Cibao and northwestern regions, this dish is called "torta" --standard Spanish for "cake"-- or "toita," as I'd like to joke, in my best feigned Cibaeño accent. In this area of the country, the name arepa is reserved for what in the rest of the country is known as yaniqueque.

Are you sufficiently confused? I don't blame you.

Dominican arepa (cornmeal and coconut cake).

Arepa elsewhere

There are several Latin American dishes with the same name but have little to nothing in common with the Dominican arepa.

Colombian and Venezuelan arepas are savory flatbreads served filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables. They are also relatively popular in the Dominican Republic where we call them Venezuelan Arepas.

Vegan arepa

This egg-free cake is very easily adapted. Use a milk substitute (soy, almond, rice, etc.) of your choice and neutral oil (corn, soy) instead of butter.

This isn't a traditional arepa, but we always try to suggest substitutions to some diets when possible.

Serving suggestions

This is a very dense cake, and as no leavening agent is added, it is best served with a hot drink of your choice.

My favorite is a cup of Dominican coffee after a meal, but arepa is great for breakfast with chocolate de agua (non-dairy cocoa), chocolate con leche, chocolate de maní, o chocolate de maíz.

Top tips

• To obtain the traditional pot-shaped cake, I baked it in an enameled cast iron pot. The disadvantage is that you might have difficulty getting the cake out in one piece. If you don't want to take that risk, bake in a nonstick baking pan, the tallest you have.
• Cornmeal is slightly finer than polenta. If you find it impossible to find cornmeal, use polenta, but be aware that the texture will be a bit "grainier" than with regular cornmeal.

About our recipe

As we mentioned above, the traditional Dominican Arepa de Maiz recipe calls for a charcoal-burning stove. Unfortunately (?) few of us urban dwellers happen to have an old-fashioned anafe around. Assuming you are not equipped to bake it the traditional way, we will use a regular oven for this recipe.

Different homes will have different combinations of spices and ingredients for this dessert, but the recipe will still remain fairly similar between homes. If you have a different version, we'd love to hear it.

Buen provecho!

Recipe

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Dominican Arepa [Recipe + Video] Cornmeal and Coconut Cake

By: Clara Gonzalez

Dominican arepa is a flavorful, spiced sweet cornmeal and coconut cake. While the name is common throughout Latin America, 'arepa' is a name reserved in the DR for the cake we all know and love.

Nutrition

Calories: 793kcalCarbohydrates: 113gProtein: 12gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 355mgPotassium: 749mgFiber: 7gSugar: 61gVitamin A: 465IUVitamin C: 1.6mgCalcium: 255mgIron: 5.6mg

Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.

More cornmeal recipes

Cornmeal is a very popular ingredient in our country, and we use it in many tasty cornmeal recipes. Some of our favorites are arepitas de maíz (cornmeal fritters), pastelón de maíz (cornmeal and beef casserole), and harina de maíz, cornmeal porridge.

References

1. Venezuelan Arepa
2. Colombian Arepa