BLACKBERRY CORNMEAL CAKE

9:00 AM Philly Bakes 0 Comments

Brunch- the little six letter word that all adults love. It's the only real excuse we have to sleep in late, drink fancy cocktails and eat ridiculously decadent foods every weekend.

Every so often, I do find myself wanting to stay in, either to have friends over or to simply have a lazier weekend. To create the ultimate Brunch, I find, you need a healthy balance of these 4 things: pastries, mixed drinks, fake meats and an "eggy" protein. If you're Brunching at home, do yourself a favor and add this dish to your breakfast spread. This fluffy, hybrid cake is dotted with tangy blackberries, a crunchy sugar topping and freshly grated orange zest. It's an easy clean up and will just as easily impress your guests.

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy milk + 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 Tbsp egg replacer + 4 Tbsp hot water
1/4 cup non-dairy sour cream
7 Tbsp non-dairy butter, melted + 1 Tbsp for skillet
2 containers fresh blackberries
1/4 sugar for sprinkling
1 orange, zested
powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat your oven for 375 degrees.

Begin by “souring” your milk. There are many ways that vegans can get around not using buttermilk in a recipe. The general ratio is 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of non-dairy milk. Measure out your milk and set it aside so it can curdle. Next, measure out your egg replacer. Grab a bowl and a clean whisk. Add the hot water and mix until it’s thick and foamy.  Add the milk to your egg replacer and whisk in the sour cream. The sour cream will not only help bind together all of the ingredients in the cake but it should also give it softer texture, similar to a coffee cake.

Throw a 10″ cast iron skillet or springform pan into the oven to warm up. Add the tbsp of butter. It should melt and coat the sides of the pan. (If you forget this step, your berries will fall and stick to the bottom of your pan.)

Sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Create a well in the middle. Pour in the milk mixture as well as the melted butter. Whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the skillet. Dot the top with the fresh blackberries. Sprinkle with both sugars.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. You want the edges to be browned and starting to pull away from the sides. Let rest for 30 minutes. Zest your orange over the top right before you’re about to serve.  To add a little flare, I usually dust the top of the cake with a thin covering of powdered sugar.