Rosemary & Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Dove-twirl in the tall grass.
End-of-summer glaze next door
On the gloves and split ends of the conked magnolia tree.
Work sounds: truck back-up beep, wood tin-hammer, cicada, fire horn.
History handles our past like spoiled fruit.
Mid-morning, late-century light
calicoed under the peach trees.

–Charles Wright, “Chickamauga”

This little one-tiered cake packs quite a punch. Freshly zested lemons, icing with clipped rosemary sprigs from the bushes in our yard, and the unexpected texture of cornmeal create a perfect, humble snacking cake.

I have a little (okay, a lot) of trouble keeping plants alive. I killed a succulent in less than a month recently. We tried to spruce up our yard this spring and planted Japanese hollies (they’re now dead), mint for cocktails (also dead), lilyturf, cat mint, viburnum, gardenia, and privet bushes (these are still living for now).

What’s also alive are four rosemary bushes—not just alive, but thriving and beautiful. I’m crossing my fingers they all make it. They were tiny little things when they were first planted. Now they are getting larger by the week and wonderfully fragrant. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs, and I absolutely love rosemary bushes.

I wanted to take advantage of our rosemary bushes (while they’re still living!) and bake with rosemary. What’s a better pairing than lemon and rosemary?

Stone-ground cornmeal adds such an intriguing texture to this cake. A hefty dose of cornmeal flours the greased cake pan, and cornmeal is also in the batter. Don’t fret thinking this cake will taste like sweet cornbread—it definitely is a cake through and through. The cornmeal simply creates a nice crumb in this rustic cake.

If you aren’t partial to rosemary or want a more subtle rosemary flavor, a tablespoon of fresh, minced rosemary can be creamed with the sugar, butter, and lemon zest. The rosemary is hard to spot once it’s baked in, but it can add an earthy bite here and there. The rosemary can be skipped all together and you still have a delicious lemon cake!

This cake can be made into a loaf using a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. The baking time will need to be increased to about 50-55 minutes or until the center is cooked through.

ROSEMARY AND LEMON CORNMEAL CAKE

Makes one 8” round cake

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CAKE

• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (60 g) plain stone-ground (not instant!) cornmeal, white or yellow
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup plus two tablespoons (176 g) granulated sugar
• 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (120 mL) buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• the zest of two medium lemons

FOR THE GLAZE

• 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted
• the juice from half a lemon
• 1 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary*, finely minced (about two 4” sprigs)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt a large pat of butter and brush the cake pan until completely saturated. Heavily sprinkle a thick layer of cornmeal on top of the melted butter, ensuring all areas of the pan are covered. Tap out any extra cornmeal. I used roughly a tablespoon of butter for greasing and 1/4 cup cornmeal (minus what was discarded after tapping the pan). Using a dredge is very helpful in evenly coating the pan.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest for about five minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, mixing well. Mix in the vanilla. On low, alternately mix in the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (add the flour in three parts and buttermilk in two parts).

Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and begins to pull away from the sides.

Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Carefully run a paring knife around the sides and flip the pan over, with your hand or a plate against the cake, to release it to the wire rack.

Let the cake cool for at least 30 more minutes before icing. Combine the sifted powdered sugar, lemon juice, and minced rosemary. Using an icing knife or offset spatula, smooth the icing over the top of the cake. Spread any leftover icing around the sides of the cake.

Once cut, wrap tightly with cling film or store in an airtight container.

*I had someone ask if they could use dried rosemary. The answer is yes! Add about 1/4 teaspoon (maybe a tad more) dried rosemary to the icing. If you’re wanting to add rosemary to the cake batter instead of the icing, add one teaspoon of dried and cream it with the zest, butter, and sugar.