We may receive a portion of the sale if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
There are dessert recipes that you make once and then forget about… and then there are those that just become part of your rotation—that you find yourself thinking about them weeks later, already planning the next event to make them. Since I’ve made this blueberry cornmeal cake three times in the past month, you can probably guess which category this falls under.
I first made this cake on Saturday afternoon, with a bowl of fresh berries, about two hours before dinner. It was that long baking time that always produced the best results—I like to think that the love and care that goes into baking a dessert is reflected in the final product. I pulled it out of the oven just as my family was roaming the kitchen looking for a light, crispy snack, and we sampled more than a few pre-dinner slices because it was that good.
There’s a lot to love about this cake: the golden top, the jewel-toned blue berries peeking out, the almond crumble for a little drama—it reads dinner party dessertwithout hours of effort. (Exactly what summer baking should be.)
Let’s Talk About Corn
If you haven’t tasted it yet, “corn cake” may not sound as good as it is. But trust me—that’s what makes this cake so good. Fine cornmeal gives the crumb a satisfying density and subtle nuttiness that plain flour can’t replicate. It’s not a polenta cake, it’s not a pound cake – it sits somewhere in between, with a texture that feels as nutty as the best rustic baking. The kind of thing made for a 3 pm coffee break.
And when I settled on using blueberries for this cake, I knew lemon would make an appearance, too. It’s one of those flavor combinations that’s popular for a reason: sweet, savory, perfectly summery. Lemon is woven into three different elements here: creamed into the cake batter, tossed with blueberries, and squeezed into the glaze. Each layer does something a little different to make the whole flavor of the cake pop and shine.
Almond Crumble is Non-negotiable
You can technically skip the breakdown, but I strongly advise against it. Those slivered almonds are mixed with cold butter, flour, and a little sugar and baked into this golden, crunchy spread, which makes every bite delicious (and keeps the cake from smelling too much).
A few things I’ve learned from making this many times: refrigerate the crumble while you make the batter. Cold butter gives you the right texture, so you don’t want it sitting on the counter to get warm. You also want to avoid over mixing the batter once you add the dry ingredients. I set my stand mixer on the lowest speed for about 30 seconds to mix well, but avoid making the corn base too thick.
A Few Notes Before Baking
This cake really benefits from a full cooling time. Yes, the temptation is real, but give it 20-30 minutes in the pan before releasing it from the springform, and wait until it cools down well before adding the glaze. If the cake is too hot, the glaze will run straight off and pool on the plate instead of sitting in those nice drops.
If you want to make this gluten-free, swap out the all-purpose flour one-to-one for your favorite GF combination—the corn does the structural work to keep this cake looking good.
***
If you need me, I’ll be making this blueberry cornmeal cake all summer. It is better the next day if there are any left over. In my experience, usually not.
Explanation
A golden, rustic cake bursting with blueberries, topped with decadent almond butter and finished with a light lemon glaze—summer baking at its best.
For the cake
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Zest of 2 lemon
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup good corn
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 spoon baking soda
- 1/2 spoon kosher salt
Blueberry Topping
- 1 1/2 cups fresh berries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
Almond Crumble
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
- Make the almond crumb by combining the almonds, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and work it with your fingers until the mixture is smooth and sandy. Refrigerate while you make the batter.
- Make the batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant. Add the butter and beat with the paddle attachment on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Mix the yogurt and vanilla.
- Add the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and beat on very low speed until combined, about 30 seconds, or fold in with a spatula. Do not mix too much.
- Mix: pour the dough into the prepared pan and spread it on top. Toss the blueberries with the sugar and lemon zest, then spread evenly over the batter—they’ll sink a little as they bake, which is just right. Sprinkle the almond crumbs over everything.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the top is golden, the center is set, and a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 20-30 minutes before releasing the springform.
- Make the glaze: mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread over cooled cake, let sit for a minute or two, then cut.
- Preparation Time: 20
- Cooking Time: 50
- Category: dessert
Keywords: blueberry cornmeal cake
!function(e,t,n,c,o,a,f){e.fbq||(o=e.fbq=function(){o.callMethod?o.callMethod.apply(o,arguments):o.queue.push(arguments)},e._fbq||(e._fbq=o),o.push=o,o.loaded=!0,o.version=”2.0″,o.queue=[],(a=t.createElement(n)).async=!0,a.src=”https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js”,(f=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0]).parentNode.insertBefore(a,f))}(window,document,”script”),fbq(“init”,”350624676535659″),fbq(“track”,”PageView”);
