Sweet blueberries and crunchy cornbread satisfy two cravings

Many people who know me are aware of my addiction to corn muffins – not the hyper-sweet ones you find at the bakery counter or make from commercial mixes, but the ones that taste like the main ingredient. After a visit to D.C. and a week without corn muffins, I returned to Lewes and had to bake some, only with an added twist – a single-layer cornbread cake with blueberries. The results were delicious – crunchy yellow cornmeal studded with deep-blue berries scattered throughout. 

When I consider making something, I usually go through my cookbooks and scroll through websites looking for inspiration. Once I discover the similarities as well as the differences among the various recipes for a specific item (including comments from readers who made the recipe “with a few changes”), I assemble ingredients and proportions that I believe will produce the best results.

In my research for this recipe, I realized the complaints about the middle staying wet were because the bakers used frozen berries. Even defrosted, they will be much soggier than fresh berries, adding too much moisture to the batter. An adjustment to the dry ingredients will adversely affect the texture, so the best choice is to select fresh berries. Also, be sure to use enough, in this case a full pint.

A few recipes called for a baking temperatures of 400 or 425 F, which is far too hot for a round cake pan, but might work for cupcakes. Another difference was the fat content, including vegetable oil, melted butter, applesauce or a combination of these. Butter in a cornmeal-based muffin or cake has the tendency to create a batter that can be too thin, largely because of the water content in the butter, so I used oil.

Many recipes included too much sugar and too much vegetable oil. In both cases, I usually opt to reduce the amount of each, typically from one-half to one-third cup. Leavening is key in a cornmeal batter, since cornmeal is heavier than flour and will require more help to rise. It may surprise you to see an entire tablespoon of baking powder in this recipe, but my taste testers assured me it worked perfectly.

The final decision is the type of cornmeal you select. I prefer the stone-ground variety, which provides a faint crunch and wonderful mouthfeel. Highly processed cornmeal will deliver a finer texture to the crumb, but may not stand up to the blueberries, behaving more like simple flour than dense cornmeal. Also, allow the baked cake to sit for just a few minutes before trying to remove it from the pan; this will give the blueberry juice a chance to gel a bit and keep the edges from breaking.

To give you a chance to see the difference between the cornmeal version and a flour-based version, I’ve included my recipe for the cake in the photo as well as a coffee-cake version from King Arthur Flour. Even without the streusel topping, you know the King Arthur’s version will be much sweeter and more delicate in texture. Both recipes can work with other fruit, such as sliced peaches. If you would like a gluten-free version of either recipe, substitute a gluten-free flour blend. Enjoy!

Blueberry Cornbread

1 C cornmeal
1 C flour
1/3 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
2/3 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
2 C fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat the inside of a round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vegetable oil. Pour liquid mixture into the dry ingredients; stir just until combined. Fold in blueberries. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow pan to rest on a rack for at least 5 minutes before removing cake.

Blueberry Cake*

Preheat oven to 375 F. Coat the inside of a round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Alternately add dry ingredients and milk to the sugar mixture, beating to combine. Fold in blueberries; do not overmix. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Allow pan to rest on a rack for 10 minutes before removing cake. *Adapted from King Arthur Flour.