Lemon Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cake

 Hello, Darlings! Remember back when I picked blueberries HERE, and I told you that I wanted to try a recipe for a blueberry cornmeal cake? Well, I tried three from Pinterest, and none of them were what I wanted. One of them was dry- the worst possible curse on a cake. Another was okay, just not overly sweet, and the lemon didn't come through at all. The last was so healthy tasting it was painful. I might as well have been making a big, bland muffin that proclaimed it was good for digestive issues, if you know what I mean. So I decided to go with what I know I like and make it my own way. You know my French Lemon Cake? I have people say all the time that is their favorite lemon cake. And not just in my little family. It is so moist and lemony, so why not just tweak it? So I did.

I made the recipe I gave you HERE and all I did differently was substitute a 1/2 cup of cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the flour in the original recipe. I love coarse grain cornmeal and have been having trouble finding it. So I used some War Eagle Cornbread Mix in it. I knew it already contained some leavening, but I didn't adjust anything. Then I threw in 1 cup of my fresh blueberries. Frozen will work too, just don't thaw them first.

I decided to bake this in a regular cake pan instead of a loaf. To me a loaf looks rustic and homey, but not particularly attractive. However, a cake round looks like it could have been make especially for tea or a party. Since I was baking it in a much shallower pan, I had to adjust the cooking time. This cooked for exactly 30 minutes, versus the almost hour of the loaf pan.

And, as you can see from the French Lemon Cake recipe, if you poke holes all in it to let the glaze run in, it is delightfully moist and lemony. But is also looks like a deranged porcupine got a hold of it. Not super pretty. So I decided to do a lemon glaze, but super thick, and let it completely frost the cake and ooze ever so gently down the sides. To make it I combined: 1 cup powdered sugar, and 1 Tbsp and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice. Why the weird measurements? It was just a tad too thick to spread with only a tablespoon of juice. I wanted it to be thick, but spreadable.

I topped it with some more fresh berries and some chamomile flowers from the herb bed.

Then I added some violas that were still gasping along in my porch pots. That made me super happy- a lemony blueberry cake that looks luscious!

And it fit right in with my 4th of July supper!

You can see that the cake is still incredibly moist, despite not being pierced for the glaze. And the sheet of frosting is mouth-puckeringly tart!

I think the cornmeal added a lovely and unexpected touch to the cake. It gave it texture and chew, much like poppy seeds would. On the second day the meal had softened a bit. On the third day I had a scrap left and I tried it just to see- the cornmeal was hardly noticeable. But it stayed moist and yummy all three days, and the blueberries were like little bursts of happiness!

So if you have tried the French Lemon Cake and enjoyed it, here is a new way to make it. It is a little classier, and a lot of fun. Just think of all the fruit possibilities out there!! And honestly, if you don't like lemon, you could simply leave out the zest and juice and have a simple, moist cake to play with. I hope that you will try this variation. And if you make it with different fruit, let me know. Cooking is always an experiment in flavors, Dear Reader, and I hope you are brave with your food!