Cornmeal

Little cornmeal berry cakes

by:
November 10, 2014
0
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  • Makes 17
Author Notes

Caramelized crusts. A buttery crumb. Jammy berries. I love these little cornmeal cakes. These are inspired by the Blueberry Cornmeal Butter Cake from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook, where I use mixed berries in place of the blueberries, omit the streusel, and bake the batter in a muffin-sized mini bundt pan plus one muffin pan (you could use 2 muffin pans or two mini bundt pans), instead of one big cake. The batter makes an odd number of little cakes -17, and you have to be careful while removing them, if using the bundt pan. But other than this, the cakes are a breeze to make. With coffee, they make a decadent breakfast, or a dreamy dessert with a dollop of creme fraiche. —Tanya

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all purpose
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/3 cup yogurt
  • 2 cups berries (a mix of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries is nice)
  • baking spray or butter and flour for the pans
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 mini bundt pans or muffin pans (making sure to tap out the excess flour) OR coat with nonstick baking spray.
  2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, add the sugar, butter and lemon zest and beat (with an electric mixer, or as I do, with a wooden spoon) till pale and fluffy. Add one egg, beat to incorporate and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the second egg and the vanilla and incorporate.
  4. Add a third of the flour mixture, then the yogurt and another third of the flour mixture, incorporating and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
  5. Add the berries to the bowl with the remaining flour mixture and toss to coat. Add this to the batter and gently fold in.
  6. Fill the bundt/muffin pans with the batter, about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes, till the edges are browned and the cakes are cooked through.
  7. Cool the cakes in their pans for 5-10 minutes. While still slightly warm, coax them out of their pans and onto a cooling rack. They’re lovely warm or at room temperature. Dust with sugar if desired.
  8. The cakes are best eaten the day they are made.

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A sometimes bad-Indian in America, with an odd kimchi habit (eaten in front of the fridge, straight out of the jar) and a heavy hand with spices.

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