LUCY BURDETTE: It was a tad early for Christmas cookies, but I needed a sweet treat for company... The chocolate loaf cake I made for A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS (now available for preorder) was such a hit, that I wanted to try another recipe along the same lines. I decided on cornmeal with orange flavoring. I was thinking of almond extract for an extra boost of flavor, but discovered in my pantry a small bottle of King Arthur Flour’s Fiori de Sicilia extract, a combination of citrus and vanilla. Eureka! Like the chocolate cake, a sugary glaze gets painted on once the cake has cooled a bit.
Ingredients for the cake:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 orange, rind grated
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ tsp Fiori de Sicilia or almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1¼ cup flour
Grate the orange’s peel into a medium bowl and mix this into the sugar with your fingers. Stir in the eggs, the sour cream, the extract, and the melted butter.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients in a second bowl—flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet. Grease a loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 for about 45-48 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
While waiting for the cake to bake, prepare the glaze. Whisk ¾ cup sifted confectioner’s sugar with 2-3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from the same orange you used for zest.) Add another ½ tsp of extract, or to taste. (Again, Fiori de Sicilia or almond.)
When the cake has cooled, move it to a pretty serving dish. Paint with glaze. Serve as is or with fruit or ice cream.
Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series. A DISH TO DIE FOR is on bookshelves right now. A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS will be published August 8, 2023.
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Sounds so yummy. Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
You are very welcome!
DeleteDefinitely making this!
ReplyDeleteHope you and your family enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful with a cup of tea
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy. Can you tell us which grind of cornmeal you prefer. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI think it was Bob's medium grind, so it had a little crunch. Whatever sounds good to you is fine!
DeleteI can't wait to make this
ReplyDeleteMmm, the texture of the cornmeal with the orange and Fiori de Sicilia sounds like a wining combination.
ReplyDeleteLovely recipe. Imagine what the cake would look like with other colors of cornmeal. Perfect for special occasions. Yellow for spring, summer. Blue when made up is almost black for halloween. Red for Christmas. Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDelete