Lemon Cornmeal Cake

This recipe reminded me of the kind of cake I used to have for tea as a child. A plain but flavorful cake. And so when I had a neighbor over for tea some weeks ago, I decided to make this cake. I liked it and will definitely make it again.

1 1/3 cups (5.7 oz/161 g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (5.3 oz/150 g) stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup (7 oz/200 g) granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (12.75 oz/363 g) sour cream

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6 oz/170 g) unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp. finely grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 3-inch springform pan. Dust the pan with flour.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt, set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs until blended. Add the sour cream and whisk until combined. Add the butter and whisk until blended. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.

4. Using a rubber spatula fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

5. Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a wire rack.

6. Unmold the cake and dust the top with confectioners' sugar or a lemon glaze.

Note: I substitute 1/2 cup of the sour cream with mascarpone cheese simply because I had it and the cake was delicious. I also make a lemon glaze using half a cup of confectioners' sugar and 1 - 2 tsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice. If you want the glaze more runny use more juice and reduce the juice if you want a thicker glaze that you can pipe.