LEMON CORNMEAL CAKE W/ LEMON GLAZE & CRUSHED-BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Happy Cinco De Mayo!  My plan was to make a big elaborate Mexican Feast tonight to celebrate the 5th of May....but I decided against it for two reasons: (1) my husband will be in meetings in the city until late tonight, (2) I am having 16 people over this Sunday for Mother's Day and I will be cooking up a storm.  So that being said....I thought I would post a dessert I made last week-end a Lemon Cornmeal Cake w/ Lemon Glaze & Crushed-Blueberry Sauce.  I could pay homage to the Mexican culture by featuring a recipe that uses cornmeal; a staple in the Mexican cuisine. 

This dessert was awesome! I found it in my April/09 issue of Bon Appetit. The blueberries can get really sweet so I would suggest that you cut back on the amount of sugar you put in the blueberry sauce and also don't pile the blueberry sauce on....just a dollop on top....if you don't like things too sweet.  The cake is not sweet at all, but by the time you add the lemon glaze and then the sugary blueberry sauce it can get really, really sweet.  We actually like the cake by itself with the glaze with a few strawberries sliced on top and on the side...that was great.  The blueberry sauce we actually used the next day on our pancakes instead of syrup....that tasted great...not to sweet at all because the pancakes are not sweet to start with.  Anyway...this cake is simple to make...and it also makes a great presentation!


CORNMEAL CAKE W/ LEMON GLAZE & CRUSHED-BLUEBERRY SAUCE  

For the Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups packed powedered sugar, sifted
• 2 TB (or more) fresh lemon juice

For the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TB. finley grated lemon peel
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• Crushed Blueberry Sauce (see recipe below)

For the Glaze:

1. Combine powdered sugar and 2 TB. lemon juice in a small bowl.  Stir with a spoon until smooth and paste like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside.

For the Cake:

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

2. Butter 9-inch round cake pan with 2 inch high sides; line bottom with parchment. ( Parchement paper and I do not bake well together so I greased the bottom and sides of the pan and then floured it.  The cake did not stick and came out great)
3. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; whisk to blend.
4. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, lemon peel and vanilla in a small bowl.
5. Pour buttermilk mixture and melted butter into the flour mixture.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold liquids into flour mixture until just blended (do not stir). 
6. Scrape batter into pan; spread evenly.
7. Bake caked until tester inserted into the middle comes out clean and cake pulls away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes.

8. Immediately run knife around sides of cake.  Place rack atop cake in pan.  Using oven mitts hold pan and rack firmly together and invert cake onto rack.  Remove pan from cake.  Place another rack on bottom of cake; invert 1 more time so that cake is top side up.
9. Stir glaze until well blended.  While cake is still very hot, frop glaze by tablespoonfuls onto cake; spread to within a 1/2 inch of edge - allow glaze to drip down sides (this looks really pretty).
10. Cool completely and serve with Crushed-Blueberry Sauce or sliced strawberries.

CRUSHED BLUEBERRY SAUCE 

• 3 cups fresh  blueberries or frozen, thawed - divided
• 2/3 cup golden brown sugar
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
• Pinch of salt

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups blueberries and all remaining inredients in medium saucepan. 

2. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until berries are very soft and liquid is syrupy, stirring often, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove from heat; add remaining blueberries.  Using back of a wooden spoon, gently press fresh blueberries against side of pan until slightly crushed.
5. This sauce can be made 2 days ahead.  Cover and chill.  Serve chilled or rewarm before serving if desired.