Lemon Cornmeal Cake

"I am - just as you are - a unique, never-to-be-repeated event in this universe. Therefore, I have - just as you have - a unique, never-to-be-repeated role in this world."

-George Sheehan

1918-1993, Cardiologist, Runner, and Writer

I am a lucky girl. If you've read this blog before, you may have read about how I have awesome friends that live in Southern California who have the best Meyer lemon tree in the world. I returned from my visit a few weeks ago with a bunch of those beauties.

My embarrassment of  Meyer Lemon riches

Meyer lemons are a little different than regular lemons. They are sweeter, and juicier. They are a cross between a Mandarin Orange and a lemon.  They don't taste anything like an orange to me. They just taste like a deliciously sweet and super juicy, lemon. To me it's like someone said, "I wish there was a way to make a lemon better. Not as tart, and more juicy." And they fulfilled their dream.

Zesting lemons and measuring the zest - To properly zest lemons, you really need a microplane. You just want to get the outside yellow peel, with no white pith underneath which is bitter. And it's a tool that can be used for so much more. It's one of my favorite kitchen tools and a great 10 dollar investment.

Right now I am super blessed to have a bunch of these lovelies. I use them in so many ways. But when I'm not visiting my friends in California, I am able to get them this time of year in a bag at my local Safeway. But they aren't nearly as good. The taste is mostly the same, and while the supermarket Meyer lemon is jucier than a regular lemon, they aren't at all as juicy as the homegrown variety. I think it's because I pick the lemons myself from the tree and I'm picking them when they're ripe. Farms that sell to grocery stores don't have that luxury.

These Meyer lemons are seriously so juicy, don't these look delicious?

I use these lemons in applications where you would use regular lemons, they do alter the taste slightly, making it sweeter. In this cake, any lemon will do, regular or Meyer.

All of my liquid ingredients, ready to be mixed with the dry

This cake! It's good! I mean it's really good. Super easy, what takes the most time is zesting and juicing the lemons. After that's done, it's really a one bowl cake. You do mix the dry ingredients together and then add the wet, so you do mix the wet stuff together, but you do it in the same measuring cup that you measure the wet ingredients in, which doesn't really count as a bowl. So in my mind, it is a one bowl cake. One bowl and a spoon. You don't even need a mixer.

dry ingredients

The glaze in this cake soaks in the cake which gives it the texture of a pineapple upside down cake, a texture I really like. Moist and tender. The taste is of lemon with a slight cornmeal taste, which is unique and wonderful. The glaze brings it home and helps it read as a cake, as opposed to lemony cornbread.

Just added together

Mixed together - Look at how easy this recipe is!

I like to line my pans with parchment so the cake doesn't stick, then grease it 

Ready for the oven

Right out of the oven - If your cake is looking like it's getting too dark, just put a cookie sheet on top of it while it finishes baking

Poking holes in my cake so it soaks up the glaze

I've been eating gluten free these days for the most part. (To help with migraines.) And I made this cake gluten free. This cake works especially well as gluten free for 2 reasons. It has cornmeal in it as well as flour. So it doesn't rely only on the flour blend for taste and texture. The texture has a nice slightly crunchy way about it from the cornmeal and of course adds flavor. I used gluten free Bisquick in place of the all purpose flour in this recipe, this is really the only change I made. (Beside letting the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking, which is always helpful when using this product, it helps it rise better.)  But any gluten free flour blend would work. I used gluten free Bisquick because I think it works amazing as a gf flour blend. So now that I'm eating gluten free mostly, I keep it on hand.

The second reason it works well as a gluten free cake is that the glaze soaks in the cake, making it extra moist. My biggest problem with a lot of gluten free cakes and cupcakes is how they are especially crummy, and kind of fall apart when you eat them. And you know me. I like my baked goods extra moist. So this cake made gluten free, fixes the crumminess because the glaze holds it together better, as well as making it more moist. It also adds a pop of lemon flavor.  In fact, I think I'm going to create a separate post to list this with the gf changes, as a gluten free lemon cornmeal cake since it was so successful. In fact I couldn't tell the difference between the regular version and the gluten free version, and neither could my husband.

Pouring on the glaze - Don't skip the glaze, it adds flavor and moisture

I just love getting all of these lemons. For baking for sure, I love the flavor. But I also use them everyday. I put lemons in my cold water, and I also drink a hot drink made of hot water, fresh lemon juice, slices of fresh ginger, and honey. I read an article where a nutritionist mentioned that one of her clients lost weight by simply creating this habit, of drinking lemon juice with fresh ginger and hot water. The reason is because it aids digestion.

If I have too many lemons and I think they are going to go bad before I can consume them, I just zest the lemons, juice them and freeze the juice and the zest separately. Then I can use the elements as needed.

After it's been glazed, doesn't that look good? I still had the bottom of the springform pan on the bottom of my cake, so I was able to remove it easily from this plate and take it to my cake plate. (As shown below.)

I love this cake and since I always have lemons handy, it's a recipe I can have in my back pocket to make for guests for tea, or for brunch, or as a snack cake. It's casual, easy to make and tastes great.

I think you're going to love it!

Looking for more lemon recipes?

Really Moist Lemon Cupcakes for Lemon Lovers - These cupcakes are one of my favorites.  Moist, and full of lemon flavor, just like the title says.

Lemon Cream Pudding - This pudding is amazing. It calls for just a few ingredients, it's rich, creamy and full of lemon flavor. In fact, it's going to be the dessert I make next with my current supply of lemons. I make it often, and serve it to company. It's always a hit.

Meyer Lemon Marmalade - If you have a bunch of lemons like I do, make marmalade! Delicious on toast, and if you process and can it in canning jars, it will last a very long time. A nice burst of sunshine when you need it.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies - This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis. They are cake like, and soft with a bright lemon flavor. These are some of my favorite cookies.

I wanted to capture how moist and tender this cake is. It has the texture and consistency of pineapple upside down cake. Only it tastes like lemon, with a hint of cornmeal.

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Clear Vintage Glass Cake Stand, Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Cake Server, Haviland Limoges Sylvia Dessert Plates with pink roses, and the Haviland Limoges Sylvia teacups with pink roses, available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.






Lemon Cornmeal Cake


If you don't have a springform pan, you can use a regular 9 inch cake pan, make sure to grease it well and line the bottom with parchment, then grease the parchment. Only fill the cake pan 2/3 of the way full (Since a regular cake pan doesn't have as high of sides as the springform pan.). You will probably have a little too much batter. For the extra batter you can make cupcakes, or just little cakes by baking them in oven safe ramekins, the small ones will be done much sooner, for a cupcake size about 18-20 minutes. Just make a little extra glaze for the extra cakes.


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (225 g.) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (53 g.) yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup (150 g.) sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (4 oz. or  118 ml.) whole milk

1/2 cup (4 oz. or 118 ml.) fresh lemon juice

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon plus 1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest - use a microplane to get it very fine

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup (4 oz. or 118 ml.) neutral cooking oil, such as vegetable oil, or light olive oil (light olive oil has very little flavor, unlike extra virgin olive oil) Use whatever neutral flavored oil you like to use


Glaze

2 cups (250 g.) powdered sugar

2-5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4.

Pour the milk into a large measuring cup (2 cup or larger.) Add the lemon juice, stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease a 9 inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the paper.

 In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt.

If it's been 10 minutes, stir the milk and lemon juice together again. Add the lemon zest, eggs, vanilla and oil to the measuring cup and stir well to break up the egg yolks.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Stir together with a large spoon until it's blended together, don't overmix it. Just stir it enough so it's all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Until it passes a toothpick test and looks done in the center.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze.

Add the lemon zest and a few tablespoons of lemon juice to the powdered sugar and mix together. If it needs more lemon juice add a little more until you get the consistency of a glaze that is thick enough to pour and cover the cake well.

When the cake is done, let it cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it from the sides. Remove the sides of the springform pan and place it on a plate. Poke holes all over the cake using a skewer, (if you don't have a skewer, a fork will do.) Pour the glaze over the cake. Spread the glaze all around the sides. Go around the cake and spoon up the glaze that has fallen down the sides of the plate, and spoon it back on the sides of the cake so it's all covered well in glaze. Serve immediately or the cake can be stored in an airtight container for about 3 days.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Fresh Peach Cobbler with a Biscuit Crust

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought. "

- Wallace Stevens

This is the best cobbler I've ever made. Sometimes I make cobblers and don't blog about them because I'm not in love with them. As a matter of fact, I just threw out the remains of the last one as I put this one in the fridge, this one is already gone, (from being eaten) damn, it's good.




Fresh raspberries from my very own raspberry bushes

I have an affinity for fresh fruit baked with a crust. Crisps, pies, cobblers, I love it all. This cobbler combines the warm, jammy fruit, with a sweet, crumbly, buttery, biscuit like crust. It's the tastiest crust I've ever tried on a cobbler. I'm absolutely smitten with it.




peaches and a few nectarines
 

Tis the season for fruit desserts. Fresh Summer fruit just might be my favorite thing about the season. As I write this, we have ripe raspberries and blackberries on bushes, and peaches, pears and apples hanging from trees

 

 

My fruit after mixing it up with the sugar and flour - I baked this in a 2 1/2 quart Pyrex Cinderella bowl and it was the perfect size
 



Just before adding the butter to the flour mixture to make the topping - It only calls for a stick and a tablespoon of butter, I didn't use all of the butter in the photo.
 

After adding the butter cut into pieces


So, clearly, I need a cobbler recipe that I love in my back pocket.

After mixing that butter up into the flour mixture - I used the pastry blender in the photo and then switched to using my hands after I got it cut up good using the pastry blender.

After adding the boiling water - you just need to mix it a few times till it comes together, don't mix it up too much

 

When we first moved here 7 years ago, we planted a lot of fruit trees. I'm telling you, it feels like it's taken an eternity for them to bear fruit!

Ready for the oven

 

 

But I'm super happy they have!  

 

Right out of the oven - It smells like heaven


I added raspberries to this cobbler, that is why the color is pink. Just because I had them available. (And not to mention that the slightly tart raspberries are the perfect compliment to sweet peaches.) So I have a peach melba cobbler here.



My raspberry bushes

Our Peach Tree

More of my raspberry bushes, I just love them. Thanks Suzanne!


You can use any fruit you'd like. Peaches only, nectarines, plums, berries, cherries, or a combination of a few. Either way, I think you and your family with adore this simple mouthwatering Summer treat!

I hope you're having a fun and relaxing Summer!


Here are a few more summer fruit recipes I love -

Any Fruit Crisp

Double Crust Peach Pie made with Fresh Peaches - This one has a delicious, very flaky, all butter crust.

This vintage Pyrex Sandalwood Cinderella Bowl is available at my Etsy shop, Coco's Kitchen. Where I sell vintage kitchen items and vintage cookbooks. You'll find vintage pots and pans, vintage Pyrex, vintage cake carriers, and lots more!

Did you know? These vintage milk glass Pyrex bowls were made completely different than current day Pyrex. It's the current Pyrex bowls that have had problems with exploding. I've never heard of these vintage opal Pyrex having any problems when baking in the oven. So they not only look prettier, but they are much more solid and well made.

Check out this great collection of Pyrex!

 

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Vintage Embroidered Tablecloth, Mid Century Knowles bowls, and the vintage silverplated spoons, are available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.







Fresh Peach Cobbler with a Biscuit Crust

As I mentioned, you can use any stone fruit or berries, or a combination. One peach equals about 1 cup of fruit, or 167 g. so use 6 cups total of fruit.

Ingredients for Cobbler

About 5 large peaches, chopped in large bite size pieces


About 1 cup (167 g.) fresh raspberries


1/2 - 2/3 cup (100 - 165 g.) sugar - if you use raspberries the larger amount of sugar is better, due to the tartness

 

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice - If you use raspberries I think it's optional - If you use only peaches that are sweet, I think the lemon juice is a good idea

3 Tablespoons Flour

 

Ingredients for Topping

1 cup (150 g.) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 g.) sugar
 

1 teaspoon baking powder
 

1/4 teaspoon salt
 

3/4 stick (6 Tablespoons) cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup (59 ml.) boiling water

Coarse sugar for topping - optional but recommended

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit, 200 Degrees Celsius, or Gas Mark 6. Start a pot of boiling water.

In a large bowl, with your clean hands, toss together the fruit, sugar, lemon juice (if using) and the flour.

Make the topping. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar,  baking powder, and salt. Add the chopped cold butter and mix together using a pastry blender or 2 knives. I start using my hands after I get it started. Mix it until it's a coarse meal. Add the boiling water and stir until it just comes together. It will come together easily after you add the boiling water.

Drop the topping like biscuits on top of the fruit. Sprinkle the biscuits with coarse sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Until the top is nice and golden brown. Check the center to make sure the biscuits are cooked through. If they aren't, bake until they are done. If needed, you can place a cookie sheet over the cobbler, so the top won't brown anymore but it will cook the center.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Happy Baking!

 

Moist Banana Cupcakes

“What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.”

 

- Oprah Winfrey

 

 

These banana cupcakes are one of the cupcakes I made for an event recently, as I mentioned in my last post. They were so well received that someone who attended that event, had me makes these cupcakes and the raspberry cupcakes for her event a few weeks later. So hey, these are pretty great! (If I do say so myself.)

Here are my mashed bananas, from the freezer is fine, just thaw them first, drain them of liquid and mash. Make sure they are very ripe for the best flavor.

 

I like using bananas in baked goods because I have a husband who doesn't like to eat a banana when it has even a few black spots.  That means my freezer sees a lot of bananas. No problem. I just thaw them and use them for yummy baked goods like these moist cupcakes.

 

 

My batter is ready to go, ready to be scooped into the cupcake tins

These cupcakes are everything you want a banana cupcake to be.

1. Full of banana flavor.

2. A great, moist texture.

Ready for the oven

 

 

Yep, these hit all the right notes. 

 

I frosted them with a mascarpone frosting. I love mascarpone cheese. It's sometimes called Italian cream cheese. It's much better tasting than traditional cream cheese, in my opinion. It's richer with a less tangy flavor.

 

Right out of the oven

The only ingredients in the mascarpone frosting is the cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. I've made mascarpone frostings before that included cream, and also ones that included butter. This version is my favorite. The flavor of the mascarpone cheese really stands out. The only down side is mascarpone cheese isn't cheap. If you live in the U.S., Trader Joes is the best place to buy it that I know of. The last time I checked, at the Trader Joes closest to me (which is about an hour away, so not super close) I think mascarpone cheese was 2.89 for the 8 oz. container. But at my local supermarket it's close to 5.00. And you need 3 containers. So yeah, not cheap, but very delicious. If you don't want to make this frosting, don't substitute cream cheese, just make another recipe. I'll list a few other frosting recipes below.

Here is some of my mascarpone cheese - 2 of my containers are pictured, but I needed 3 to frost my cupcakes.

Since most people like bananas, I think these are a great choice for a crowd.

Here is my mascarpone frosting - this stuff is to die for, especially if you are a mascarpone lover like me.

I hope these are as successful for your people, as they were for mine!

We have deer that live on our land. They are really active now that it's Spring.

More frosting recipe choices that would be great with these cupcakes:

Traditional Cream Cheese frosting from my Super Moist Red Velvet Cupcakes.

A yummy vanilla Not Too Sweet Frosting from my Best Super Moist White Cupcake Recipe.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream - (also not too sweet, and so yummy,) from My Favorite White Cupcakes

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting from my Sweet Potato Cupcakes.

Salted Caramel Buttercream -or Caramel Buttercream with a little less salt - from my Whoopie Pies.

Chocolate Buttercream from my Best Moist Chocolate Cupcake Recipe.

If you didn't already hear, I've started a second Etsy shop! Coco's Kitchen is where I sell vintage cookbooks and vintage kitchen items. I'm adding new items all the time, and I would love it if you checked it out, and favorited my shop, and even spread the word, if that's your kind of thing. Thank you!

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Vintage Blue Lace Tablecloth, Fenton "Spanish Lace" Milk Glass Cake Stand, Shelley Primrose Chintz Plate Set, Rosina Queens Daintyflower teacup, Antique Nippon Blue Cream and Sugar Set, and Vintage FB Rogers Silver Tray available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

 

Follow House of Lucien on Facebook!

Moist Banana Cupcakes

makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups (310 g.) flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks (8 oz.)  butter at room temperature

1 1/4 cup (278 g.) white sugar

1/2 cup (118 ml.) sour cream or yogurt, a yogurt with fat in it is best, meaning try not to use a nonfat yogurt

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

5  very ripe bananas mashed, or 2 cups mashed (16 oz.) (473 ml.)

1 cup chopped walnuts - optional - I've made these cupcakes about 4 times now, and I haven't used nuts yet, but I plan to at some point, depending on who I serve them to.

Dried Banana Chips for topping, optional


Mascarpone Frosting

This amount of frosting will frost 24 cupcakes using about the same amount as I have used in the photos.

Ingredients

3 - 8 oz. packages mascarpone cheese

3 cups (315 g.) powdered sugar

3 tsp. vanilla extract


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners, greaseproof are best.

In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature butter, and sugar and beat until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for a few seconds, just to make sure it's all been mixed in.

In another large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the sour cream and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat together until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat together. (I just start the mixer on low, and add an egg, wait a few seconds, add another, etc. until they have all been added.) (Of course I have the eggs cracked into a small bowl first, so as not to risk getting a piece of egg shell into my cupcakes.) Add the mashed bananas and mix again until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again just to be sure it's all been incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix just until it's been combined. Be careful not to overmix it, now that you have added the flour, you don't want to overwork it. Just mix it until it's all been incorporated. Scrape down the bowl one more time, and mix it together. Stir in the nuts, (if using) just until they have been mixed in.

Scoop with an ice cream scoop, or spoon with a spoon, the batter into the cupcake liners until they are about 2/3rds full. Bake for about 18-22 minutes until they pass a toothpick test. While cupcakes are baking, make the frosting, (directions below.)

Cool on wire racks for 10-20 minutes. Then remove them from the muffin tins and finish cooling on wire racks until cool.

Frost the cupcakes with the frosting and top with a dried banana chip, if desired.


Directions for Mascarpone Frosting

The mascarpone cheese is soft enough to be used straight from the fridge. It can be used cold, or at cool room temperature. If the cheese is at too warm of room temperature, it can melt like butter.

Beat the mascarpone cheese with the vanilla extract for about a minute. Stop the mixer and add the powdered sugar. Start the mixer on low until the sugar has been mixed with the mascarpone, (to make sure it doesn't fly out of your mixer) continue beating on medium high for another minute or so.

Refrigerate any leftover frosting. If you want to frost cupcakes after it's been refrigerated, you will need to beat it again.