Lemon Cornmeal Cake

If you like your cornbread sweet, fine. But then call it what it is—a cake. This makes an excellent light breakfast with coffee or juice.

Ingredients

3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 1/2 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together eggs, sugar, and zest. Set over a small pot of hot water, double-boiler style, and whisk until warm to touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it thickens and lightens in color, and forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted, about 5-6 minutes.

In another bowl, combine oil, milk, and lemon juice. Return mixer to medium speed and drizzle this into egg mixture. Reduce to low speed and add combined cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Finally, drizzle in melted butter and combine.

Line an 8-inch metal loaf pan with parchment paper. Pour batter into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, rotating once. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick or the tip of a sharp knife into the center of the cake—it should come out clean, and the cake should spring back when gently touched.

Remove cake from the oven and immediately sprinkle the sugar on top. Place pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully lift cake out of the pan and return it to the rack to finish cooling.

Reprinted from Breakfast: Recipes to Wake Up For, by George Weld and Evan Hanczor. Published by Rizzoli.