Cornmeal And Rosemary Cake Recipes

CORNMEAL ROSEMARY CAKE WITH LEMON FONDANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Butter a 9-inch cake pan, line it with a circle of parchment paper, and butter the paper.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, rosemary, zest, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl, briefly whisk the mascarpone to loosen it.
• Add the eggs one at a time, whisking to combine.
• Add the sugar and whisk until smooth.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the wet ingredients, mixing until smooth.
• Stir in the butter.
• Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
• While the cake is baking, make the lemon syrup.
• Combine the lemon juice and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.
• Remove from the heat.
• Allow the cake pan to cool on a rack for 5 minutes before unmolding.
• To unmold, run a small knife around the cake.
• Place an inverted plate over the cake pan and, protecting your hands with a kitchen towel, invert the whole thing.
• The cake should slide right out onto the plate.
• Peel off the parchment paper, then place a 9-inch cardboard circle or an inverted plate over the cake and, again, invert the whole thing.
• Remove the top plate and the cake will be right side up.
• With a wooden skewer, poke a few dozen holes all over the top of the cake.
• While the cake is still warm, brush the cake with the lemon syrup.
• Continue brushing for several minutes, giving the syrup time to sink into the cake, until you've used all or most of the syrup.
• Allow the cake to cool.
• To make the lemon fondant, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.
• Add the rosemary leaves and blanch them for one minute.
• Scoop out the rosemary leaves with a small sieve and drop them immediately into a small bowl of ice water.
• Drain, and spread the rosemary leaves on a paper towel to dry.
• In a bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, cream, and lemon juice until smooth, then whisk in the blanched rosemary and the zest.
• When the cake is completely cool, transfer it to a rack set over a baking sheet.
• (If your cake is not on a cardboard circle, use a wide spatula to transfer it.) Pour the fondant over the top of the cake and allow it to drip off the sides.
• You can gently tilt the cardboard circle or the wire rack back and forth to encourage the glaze to completely flow over the top of the cake.
• While the glaze is still wet, transfer the cake to a cake plate.
• Allow the fondant to dry, an hour or more, before serving the cake.
• (If you allow the glaze to dry before you transfer it, the glaze may crack a bit, unless you are transferring it on a cardboard circle.) Because this cake is quite moist, you can make it one day ahead.
• After the cake is brushed with the syrup, allow it to cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and leave it at room temperature.
• A few hours before you're ready to serve the cake, make the fondant and glaze the cake.

LEMON ROSEMARY CORNMEAL CAKE WITH BALSAMIC SYRUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350, move an oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. Grease an 8″ cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour, rosemary leaves, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy with a hand mixer. (Or use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Add the vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk. Mix until all combined, and then mix in the lemon juice and zest. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low speed until no streaks of flour remain, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake on the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely.
• For the balsamic syrup: Combine the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thickened - about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, and drizzle over each slice of cake just before serving. The syrup can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge - bring to room temp before using.

CORNMEAL CAKE WITH SWEET ROSEMARY SYRUP AND BLACKBERRIES

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add remaining cake ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Beat batter on high speed until pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with a few crumbs adhering.
• Make Rosemary Syrup while cake is baking.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto hand and return, right side up, to rack. While cake is still warm, gradually brush 1/3 cup syrup over it, allowing syrup to soak in before adding more. Chill remaining syrup in a small pitcher, covered. Syrup-soaked cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.
• Serve cake, cut into wedges, with whipped cream, blackberries, and remaining rosemary syrup.

THE MOST ADAPTABLE ONE-BOWL CORNMEAL POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees, and grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. (Or grease and line it with parchment.)
• In a big bowl, add the sugar, and grate the zest from the orange, lemon or lime into the bowl. If you need a little aromatherapy, work the zest into the sugar with your fingers. (This technique is supposed to infuse the citrus into the sugar.)
• Add the fat, eggs, and yogurt to the bowl, along with the extract and nutmeg, if you like.
• Whisk in the salt, baking soda, baking powder and cornmeal. Once smooth, whisk in flour.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Let it (mostly) cool in the pan. Then slice off a thick piece, butter it and let yourself be soothed.