My favorite part of Bon Appetit Magazine is the r.s.v. p. readers’ favorite recipes. I love the letters people write – excited to share their thoughts regarding delicious meals and desserts that they’ve enjoyed all over the country. This recipe came from a reader who stated that this cornmeal cake was her favorite breakfast treat and I guess it just spoke to me. There were some curious ingredients in the dish and I wanted to give it a whirl. Well, again, this was another huge hit with my foodie friend Lauren – who happens to be 11 but really seems to know her stuff! She adored this treat. Gave it a 10 and said it reminded her of blintzes. Oh, and my kids too – and Rob and I both liked this a lot as well. The flavor is new to us with a mixture of ricotta, honey and cornmeal that make this one a little bit different and goood! The cake is crusty on the outside – and soft on the inside which I happen to love, especially the crusty part. It is more breakfast than the boy bait from below – and really way way less sweet. This is packed (like crazy) with blueberries and I just love that. Especially now as the sun shines and the blueberries become sweeter and juicer. Sliced and toasted I believe is the best way to eat this (after the first day which you should just eat as is) – with a cup of tea. Enjoy this – another great choice for brunch.
blueberry cornmeal cake (adapted from the Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe via Appetit May 2010):
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4’s plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 cups fresh blueberries
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray or butter a 10 inch spring form pan (at least 2 3/4 inches high) – or use a smaller pan and reserve extra batter for another pan.
In a smallish bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another smallish to medium bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, vanilla and honey.
With the paddle attachment of stand mixer (or your hand held beaters) beat the butter and 3/4 cup 2 tablespoons of hte sugar until light and creamy. About 4-5 minutes or so. Scrape, mix and scrape again.
Slowly add the egg and honey mixture to the butter on medium speed. Add it little by little waiting for the liquid to be absorbed by the butter. Beat to blend, scrape, and mix.
On the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just about incorporated. Then add the ricotta and yogurt and mix until just incorporated.
Remove from mixer – and pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Then scatter 1 1/2 cups of the blueberries on top of the batter. Spoon the remaining batter on top of the blueberries and spread to cover. Scatter the remaining blueberries on top, followed by the last tablespoon of sugar. Sprinkle the sugar to cover.
Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven…bake until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out just clean. I had to tent my cake at the end with foil as it was browning a little too much. (Next time I might try cake strips.) This should take 65-75 minutes – keep checking. Cool completely, then run knife around edges if need be and unlock the spring and voila – a blueberry feast!
