“BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL CAKE TRIPTYCH”
I’ve been goin’ at it with my Logan’s Turnpike Mill stoneground Georgia cornmeal and our organic Texas blueberries (still showing up in the local markets for around $4 per pint). We enjoyed these three cakes recently (yes, we go through cake pretty fast around here). If you gotta mind to you can enhance the cake of your choice with a little lemon zest or lemon oil added with the butter. And if you really want to trip out try blue or even red cornmeal (make sure the grind’s not too coarse).
Here’s a terrific pound cake, with or without blueberries.
Cake and fireworks---can't be beat!
BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL POUND CAKE
- 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, preferably organic, softened
- 38 grams cornmeal
- 181.5 grams (1 1/2 cups) organic all-purpose flour
- 125 grams (5/8 cup) sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 5/8 teaspoon baking soda
- up to 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 151 grams (7/8 cup) sour cream, homemade yogurt 1/2-n-1/2 is fine
- 42 grams (2 Tablespoons) honey, preferably local
- scant Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 eggs, preferably local
- 1/2 pint fresh blueberries, preferably local and organic, rinsed and dried well
Preheat oven to 350º and grease and flour (I like Spectrum baking spray) a 6-cup Bundt® style tube pan. I use a Turk’s head pan.
Combine dry ingredients (cornmeal through salt) in a bowl with a whisk. Lightly beat eggs with vanilla and about a third of the sour cream. Mix the remaining sour cream with the honey.
Combine butter and dry ingredients in a mixer bowl (a stand mixer works best for this). Add sour cream with honey and mix on medium speed with the paddle for 90 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and add the egg mixture in three parts, beating for 20 seconds after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl each time.
Fill the pan halfway with batter. Gently stir blueberries into the remaining batter and finish filling the pan. Bake for about 35 minutes, until cake tests done. If the top seems to be overbrowning you can lightly lay a piece of foil on the top or turn the oven down to 325º.
Cool cake in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Loosen sides by gently jostling pan and turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.
A light lemon glaze is nice but not essential. Combine 1 Tablespoon lemon juice with 6 or more Tablespoons powdered sugar to make a drizzly drizzle. Pour over cooled cake.
This next cake is good as a 1 or 2 layer cake with super buttery frosting or as a single layer served with tartened whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup sour cream whooped together til softly peaking), fresh blueberries and local honey.
BROWN SUGAR CORNMEAL CAKE makes 1 9″ round layer
- 3 ounces (6 Tablespoons) organic butter, softened
- 155 grams (3/4 cup) organic light brown sugar–Central Market Organics is usually the best buy
- 1 1/2 eggs–75 grams or 4 1/2 Tablespoons–preferably local
- 121 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour, preferably organic
- 2 ounces (about a rounded 1/2 cup) cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup yogurt or buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350º and grease and flour a 9″ X 2″ round cake pan. For a surefire smooth move at unmolding time lay a circle of waxed paper on the bottom of the pan before greasing and flouring or spraying with baking spray.
Cream butter and sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs. Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir vanilla into yogurt. Add dry ingredients to butter in three parts alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat well and brieflybetween additions and don’t forget to scrape the mixing bowl.
Fill your pan, jiggling it to level batter, and bake about 20-25 minutes, until cake tests done. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes before loosening the sides with a metal spatula and inverting onto a cooling rack. Reinvert if that’s your style. Let cake cool completely if you’re gonna frost it. Otherwise eat it warm. Go ahead.
Almost a cross between the first two cakes, this tall, rich layer is downright decadent without being fancy. Dense with butter (nearly unctuous with Organic Valley Pasture butter), it’s irresistible when warm. The blueberries actually help cut the richness. So eat another piece before I eat it all!
that's rich!
RICH BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL CAKE makes one 9″ round cake
- 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) organic butter, softened
- 83 grams (about 7/8 cup) organic whole wheat pastry flour
- 35 grams (about 1/4 cup ) cornmeal
- 83 grams (about 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons) organic all-purpose flour
- 200 grams (1 cup) organic sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- a little freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt–slightly less if using Pasture butter
- 160 grams (2/3 cup) homemade 1/2-n-1/2 yogurt or sour cream (light is fine. This cake is rich enough.)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 eggs, preferably local
- up to 1/2 pint fresh blueberries, preferably local and organic, rinsed and dried well
Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 9″ X 3″ round pan. Lining the bottom with a round of waxed paper is a good idea here.
Combine dry ingredients, through salt, in a bowl with a whisk. Stir about 3 Tablespoons (don’t bother to measure) yogurt or sour cream and extracts into the eggs. Combine flour mixture, butter, and remaining yogurt in a mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 90 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg mixture to batter in three parts, beating for 20 seconds after each addition and scraping the bowl in between.
Pour two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the batter. Top with the remaining batter and the sprinkle with the blueberries. Bake for 35 minutes or so until cake tests done. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes before loosening the sides and unmolding. Let cool as long as you can stand it.
Savor The Earth 