I’ve written about sweet cornbread cake before. That was a recipe similar to the one my grandmother, my mother’s mother, used to make. With time, by mother changed the recipe, bringing it closer to contemporary tastes, making it somewhat more refined. I took it from my mother and I “polished” it some more, using a fine ground cornmeal instead of the usual cornmeal you can find in supermarkets (available in bio/eco stores as fine cornmeal), I worked a bit on the flavors and the result was the story below:
For a party of 8-10 guests in which you want to impress with a dessert that has a traditional touch (which makes it even more surprising), which is easy to make and which is safe from many of the dangers of modern sweets, you need:
– one cup and a half of fine ground cornmeal (don’t ask me about the dimension of the cup, just measure all the ingredients with the same cup and everything’s going to be fine – by the way, a 200 milliliter cup is perfect)
– one cup of semolina, for the aeration of the composition
– one cup and a half of wheat flour
– one cup of cornmeal, the kind you use to make polenta, which will give the cake the traditional touch I was telling you about
– 4 eggs (separate the egg whites from the yolks)
– one cup and a half of low-fat yogurt
– one cup and a half of low-fat milk
– 4 teaspoons of sugar
– one teaspoon of salt
– one tablespoon of Bourbon vanilla sugar (sugar mixed with ground vanilla)
– one cup of sour cherries from compote or one cup of fresh sour cherries, if it’s their season
– one sachet of baking powder
– the zest of a lemon and of an orange
– powdered sugar to sprinkle on top of the cake
Blend the semolina, the cornmeal and the two types of flour in a large bowl, with the baking powder, vanilla sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, half a teaspoon of salt and the yolks whisked with 4 tablespoons of sugar (until you obtain a fine cream). Further add the yogurt and the milk and then whisk the egg whites into a stiff foam (the other half of teaspoon is for the egg white foam). Two cake trays of medium dimension or a big one and a small one should be enough. Pour the mixture in the buttered baking tray, sprinkle sour cherries on top (press them gently to be partially immersed), then put the trays on the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes, at 180 degrees Celsius (perhaps for 40 minutes, depending on the oven, either way, you can test the cake with a wooden spear: if it comes out clean from the cake, then the cake is baked in the middle). After it gets cold, powder it with sugar. Or not, it’s up to you. Instead of powdering it with sugar, you can sprinkle it with maple syrup or honey diluted with lemon juice.
The last time I made sweet cornbread cake, I took a few pieces to Gimmy, to tease the girls. I’ve reached the conclusion that cornbread will be the dessert at the party for instructors and clients and Gimmy Gym that I’m planning and about which I will offer details soon enough :). Stay healthy.
Special thanks to
Oana Bodnariuc, Authorized Translator
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facebook.com/oana.bodnariuc