Chicken Quesadilla Cake

If you are a fan of Mexican food, you are in for a treat. This Chicken Quesadilla Cake is made by layering tortillas with refried beans, corn, jalapeños, chicken, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. The best part is that the possibilities are endless. Don’t have chicken? Swap it with beef or shrimp. Are you vegetarian? Swap chicken with mushrooms or even tofu.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Mexican Cuisine

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 10

Servings slices

Calories 450kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For the refried beans:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 medium size onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
3 (15 ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chicken stock
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

For the quesadilla cake:

8 large flour tortillas
vegetable spray
6 ounces whipped cream cheese at room temperature
12 ounces of shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
½ cup sliced pickled jalapenos chopped
1 15 oz. can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced thinly
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups of cooked chicken cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 small sweet peppers rinsed and pat-dried
½ - ¾ cup sour cream cold
To serve optional
Fresh avocados or homemade guacamole

Instructions

To make the refried beans:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add in the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Add in the onion and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir in the black beans, chicken stock, and salt. Put the lid on and let it cook for 7-8 minutes in medium heat. Make sure to give it a stir every 2 minutes or so. It should thicken after the 8-minute mark. If it doesn’t let it cook until it does
Using a potato masher or the back of a fork, mash black beans as much as you want. I prefer lightly mashed, but it is up to you. Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary. Stir in the cilantro and set aside to cool.

To make the tortilla cake:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F°. Lightly spray the inside of a 9-inch spring form cake pan with vegetable spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Using the bottom of the pan as your guide cut out 9-inch circles from the tortillas. Do this for 7 of the tortillas. Leave one of them as it is.
Place the first tortilla at the bottom of the cake pan. Using a spatula, spread it with a tablespoon of cream cheese and 3 tablespoons of black beans. Sprinkle it with some corn, pickled jalapenos, sliced tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cheese and chicken. You do not need to use every single one of the ingredients for every layer. The important thing here is to make sure that every ingredient is spread out evenly before you continue with the next layer.
Repeat the same thing for 6 more times. As you layer, feel free to push down and get the air out as much as you can. If you feel that some layers are uneven, make sure to go back and even them out.
When you come to the last layer, it should be pretty packed. You should have used 7 tortillas. Top the last layer with whatever ingredient you have left. Place the largest tortilla on the top. Gently tuck the ends of the tortilla into the pan. You should be covering the top of the cake fully. Lightly spray it the top of the cake with the vegetable spray. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or the top tortilla is lightly browned. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife through the edges and take the cake out of the spring form pan. Transfer to a large plate.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet and fry the peppers until they are lightly charred.
When ready to serve, place the peppers on the cake as seen in the photos (1 pepper per slice).
Fill a disposable decorating bag (or a large clean ziplock bag) with sour cream fitted with your favorite decorating tip. Squeeze a large dollop (1-2 tablespoons or so for each slice) of sour cream onto the end of each pepper.
Slice and serve with fresh slice of avocado or homemade guacamole.

Notes

To get more information on substitutions, tips and tricks, storing, and making it ahead, please refer to the blog post.

Nutrition