Cornmeal Pound Cake with Maple Honey Glaze

I've had my fair share of kitchen fails lately.

It started a little over a week ago with raspberry muffins sprinkled with lemon sugar: the taste was delightful, the appearance was dreadful.  Two days later I attempted peanut butter cookies topped with peanut brittle: once again, ugly mess.  Four days later, I tried again.  This time chocolate/red velvet marble cake.  Trash.  I was starting to get tired of wasting my butter and eggs.  

But this morning my creativity struck again.  I apprehensively  made my way into the kitchen and started pulling ingredients.  I had just enough butter left.  I felt good about this one.  I took my time.  I lined up my flour and cornmeal and sugar and began whipping egg whites.  I snuck a few bites of batter and let the oven do its thing.  At last, I had success.  Not only did this cake fill the entire house with an amazing maple aroma, it came out tender and soft and sweet.  I've still got it.

Cornmeal Pound Cake with Maple Honey Glaze

Makes one 6-cup bundt cake (double recipe for 10-inch bundt or tube pan)

for the cornmeal pound cake:
1/2 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 cup sugar, divided
3 large egg whites
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a 6-cup bundt pan generously with cooking spray, using a brush to get in the cracks; sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon cornmeal.

In bowl of mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at high speed until foamy.  Gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.  Transfer egg white mixture to small bowl.

Rinse out mixing bowl.  Use paddle to beat butter and remaining sugar (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream.  Add flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda to sugar mixture, stirring to combine. Gently fold in egg white mixture.  Spoon batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes (this will take more like 50 minutes if you double the batch and bake in a larger pan), or until wooden pick inserted in cake comes out clean.  During last five minutes of baking, prepare the glaze.

for the maple honey glaze:
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon maple extract

Combine the glaze ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a simmer.  Remove from heat.


Once cake is removed from the oven, poke holes into the bottom of the cake.  Gently spoon glaze over warm cake.  Let cool in pan for 20 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan to cool completely.

Adapted from Cooking Light magazine, October 2002.

Fresh Orange Strawberry Bundt Cake

This is a love hate relationship.

I'll just say it: this. cake. sticks.  I learned this the hard way last year (sorry, mom.  I blamed it on you for telling me to dump it out of the pan too soon.)  The result was one mess of a cake; half on the serving plate, half in the pan.  Unfortunately, I could blame mom again.  I left her in charge of spraying the bundt, afterall (and picking up my dirty dishes, used ingredients, etc.  My sous chef [baker?]).  But I know better.  This cake is just plain trouble.  Not sure if it's the "moistness", the pan itself, or it's just out to get me, but it's a pain in the bundt.

Ok, now that you're probably planning on not making this cake, let me convince you otherwise because this thing is pretty much no less than amazing.  So good, in fact, that after the fall-out last Easter (no pun intended), I was still determined to make it again this year, strictly to reexperience the deliciousness that is this cake.  Super moist, tender, light, flavorful- pretty much all the yummy adjectives that food writers frown upon. 

Don't let the sticky pan issue stop you.  Simply slice straight from the bundt.  Works like a charm.  Or grease and flour the h*$# out of it. 

Fresh Orange Strawberry Bundt Cake

Makes one (10-inch) bundt

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs
Juice of 1 orange

Zest of 1 orange

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces plain or vanilla yogurt

12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in orange juice and orange zest.  Alternate beating in the flour, soda, and salt and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.  Gently fold in the strawberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool for about 45 minutes to an hour in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.  Or slice and serve straight from the pan!

Adapted from Foodista.