This coming week is going to be my last week in Atlanta. It is bittersweet because I lived in this city (on and off) for over 10 years. Even though I am excited about living in Vermont, a part of me will always miss Atlanta. Speaking of being excited, next Sunday is going to be a big one around here as Atlanta’s Falcons are playing in the Big Game. Everyone I know is in a party mood and most friends are reaching out for game day recipe ideas. So I came up with an elaborate Mexican recipe that will wow your friends and family. I know this for a fact because I made this chicken quesadilla cake several times during the holidays and it was a big hit every single time. Imagine, our favorite Mexican flavors like refried beans, corn, cilantro, jalapenos, shredded cheese etc., layered between flour tortillas in a large spring form pan, baked in the oven, and sliced and served as “cake”. Who would say no to that?!
About this Chicken Quesadilla Cake recipe:
Admittedly, I have been working on this recipe for over a month now and it took me a few tries to get it right. Below you will find a few tips and tricks, notes on ingredients, substitutions, and make ahead ideas to help you make your own:
Ingredients:
Now, I will admit the list of ingredients is long, but most of them are readily available in well-stocked pantries. If you are missing a few, you will find everything you need with a quick visit to your local grocery. I purchased everything I needed from our local Kroger Simple Truth product line. I love this brand because the products are mostly organic, natural, and free from artificial flavors. I believe that if you start with the best ingredients you will get the best results at the end. I find that even in an elaborate recipe like this one, you can make it healthy and nutritious by using the cleanest ingredients you can get your hands on. For me, Simple Truth products is just that: clean ingredients I can use in all my cooking, all conveniently available in one place. This recipe has two parts. The first one is to get the ingredients ready, including making the refried beans. If you are planning to serve this for a party, I recommend prepping everything (including the beans) a day ahead. When you have your ingredients ready, putting it all together is a breeze. The second part is the layering, but we will talk about that in a minute.
The Importance of the Cream Cheese:
In my first try at making this recipe, I did not use cream cheese as I didn’t want additional calories. However, the end product was dry, even with the use of shredded cheese. The layers needed something creamy. While looking for alternatives, I found a similar recipe that used cream cheese and decided to give it a try. The difference in moistness was like night and day. However, I want to mention here, a little cream cheese goes a long way. Only one tablespoon per layer is needed.
Substitutions:
I think the best part of this recipe is the endless possibilities. You can swap chicken with beef, shrimp or pork. Are you a vegetarian? Why not use mushrooms or even tofu instead of chicken? If you do not like jalapeños or cilantro, just omit them. Seriously, you can use whatever you have on hand.
My Tips on Layering:
There are two critical things to pay attention as you layer the quesadilla cake:
- The size of the tortillas: As I mentioned earlier, having all your ingredients laid out before you start, including the flour tortillas, is crucial here. The cake in the photos is made of 8 large flour tortillas for a total of 7 layers. To make the whole thing look like a cake, I used a 9-inch spring form pan. However, my tortillas were larger than 9 inches (they were 9 ¾ inches in diameter), so I had to cut them to fit in the pan. With that being said, please know that they do shrink during the baking. This is not an issue for the layers in the body of the cake, but it is a problem for the top layer as it shrinks much more than the body layers. To fix that issue, I did not cut the top tortilla. Instead, I tucked the excess sides gently into the corners using a spatula (or a butter knife would work as well). After it baked, the tortilla at the top was exactly 9-inches covering the whole cake beautifully.
- Layering evenly: As you build your layers, make sure the ingredients are distributed evenly in the cake pan. You do not need to use every ingredient in every layer. Feel free to mix and match. Also, after you are finished with each layer and place the next tortilla on top, press with your hand to (1) even out the cake and (2) let air out. Compression is necessary, or you will not be able to fit all seven layers into the cake pan, and the cake will not have attractive height.
Decorations on Top:
If you are short on time, you can certainly skip the sour cream and sweet pepper decorations on top and serve them on the side. However, if you decide to decorate it as I did, I recommend using a ruler and gently cutting guidelines for yourself to make sure that it will be eight even layers. If you look carefully in the photo above, you can see my lines. Creating the guides will be helpful as you decorate the top and make the wedges look uniform.
On making it ahead, storage and leftovers:
I can almost hear you ask: “Can I make this a day ahead and bake it on the day of?” Yes, you can. However, if you decide to do so, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature, especially the refried beans. If the beans are hot, the baking process will start immediately leaving you with a semi-baked cake before it goes in the oven. Simply layer your cake in the spring form pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated until you are ready to bake it. If a few slices are leftover, refrigerate them in an airtight container, and they will be good the next day. To reheat, remove the sour cream topping (because it would melt in the oven) and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Finally, I know that this has been a longer than usual post. It took several times to get this cake right, so I wanted to arm you with all the knowledge I gained throughout my trials. After reading my notes, it will be a breeze to make, and I hope you will enjoy eating and serving this chicken quesadilla cake as much as I did.
Other Recipes You Might Be Interested for Your Game Day Parties
Oven-Baked Chicken WingsSlow Cooker Sticky Chicken WingsGuacamole Burger with Roasted Sweet PotatoesLoaded Twice-Baked Potato SkinsBaby Potatoes with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Caper DressingBaked Brie with Blackberry Compote and Spicy Candied PecansNeed more inspiration? Check out all my Healthy Game Day recipes.
Editor’s note: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger Atlanta. The opinions and text are all mine.
