on blueberry cornmeal cake...

I originally saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Bleubird. Jame's introduced the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman, to me. She actually made this exact recipe and shared it on her blog. Once I saw it I went right to Amazon and bought me a copy. I mean, come on, the book on it's own is just gorgeous to look at. I had to have it! It was decided way before I even had the cookbook in my hands that this Blueberry Cornmeal Cake would be the first thing I try from it. I was toying with the  idea of making some sort of blueberry desert for a while now so this was perfect. Recipe as follows via Smitten Kitchens Cookbook. 

Ingredients: 

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I didn't have zest so I used 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry 

streusel:
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I used frozen and worked just fine!)

Cake directions:

1// Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder & salt. Set aside. 

2// Beat together sugar and butter until fluffy with mixer. Add one at at a time. Make sure you scrape sides while doing all this mixing. Add vanilla and lemon zest. 

3// Alternate by adding sour cream and flour mixture in with the butter mixture. Add a little bit of each until everything is combined. Next fold in the blueberries with a spatula gently. 
4// Spread batter in to a buttered or sprayed cake pan. 

streusel directions:
In the same bowl as your dry ingredients combine all the dry ingredients for the streusel. Add the cut up butter and either use a fork, pastry blender or even your hand (which is what I did) and mash everything together to create the crumb consistency. Sprinkle it evenly over the cake. 

Bake for about 35 minutes so that the edges are golden brown. Poke it in the middle to make sure it is done. I just use a toothpicks. As long as it comes out clean you should be set! Let it cool and indulge. 

The only thing that I did different was use lemon juice instead of lemon zest but only because I didn't have a lemon on hand and then also I sprinkle extra cinnamon on the top right before baking it. Only because I loooove cinnamon!!!

Yes, it's as good as it looks! Oh my. I brought it with me to my in laws for Sunday dinner yesterday and it was gone in an instant. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Enjoy!

xoxo.