Any way you slice it, this cake is the perfect dessert. It's rustic and gets a zing from its tangy lemon glaze. The blueberry sauce dresses it up for dessert and even brunch.
It's light and sweet and just has this overall yummy flavor with the perfect texture. I love using cornmeal in cakes and have never been disappointed with the outcome.
As with any cake baked from scratch, a few tablespoons of flour can make the difference between a dry, dense cake and one with a fluffy, tender texture. Make sure to use the scoop and sweep method when measuring your flour; scoop flour into a measuring cup with a spoon and level off with the straight edge of a knife.
You are going to love this and no mixer is needed!
Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Lemon Glaze and Crushed-Blueberry Sauce
From Bon Appetit
Lemon Glaze:
1-1/2 cups packed powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tablespoons (or more if needed) fresh lemon juice
Cake:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled
Crushed-Blueberry Sauce
3 cups fresh blueberries or frozen, thawed, divided
2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinch of salt
For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoons lemon juice in small bowl. Stir with spoon until smooth and paste-like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside. (Glaze is going to be going on a hot cake so thick is good, too runny and it will slide off the cake.)
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350o F. Butter 9" diameter cake pan with 2" high sides; line bottom with parchment. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour buttermilk mixture and melted butter into flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, very gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir, the batter will be lumpy). Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, 25-30 minutes.
Immediately run knife around sides of cake. Place rack atop cake in pan. Using oven mitts, hold pan and rack firmly together and invert cake onto rack. Remove pan from cake. Place another rack on bottom of cake; invert 1 more time so that cake is top side up. Stir glaze until blended. While cake is still very hot, drop glaze by Tablespoonfuls onto cake; spread to within 1/2" of edge (some glaze may drip down sides of cake). Cool completely.
While cake is cooling, combine 1-1/2 cups blueberries, brown sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until berries are very soft and liquid is syrupy, stirring often, about 7 more minutes. Remove from heat; add remaining blueberries. Using back of spoon, gently press fresh blueberries against side of pan until lightly crushed. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Serve chilled or rewarm before serving.
Cathy is currently in the development stages of her vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.