Cookbook Love and Cornmeal Cake

I know I just posted about the books I've been reading this summer, but here's a confession: Sometimes, I just like to read cookbooks. I remember when I was younger reading my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook.  It was the one that was like a binder.  I'm pretty sure it was one of her wedding presents. I looked it up online once to see if I could find one like it and apparently they sell for something like $90, you know because they're vintage. 

Anyway, I was fascinated by all the wisdom contained within it's pages, tips on which how to make an omelet (not just throwing cheese into some eggs and scrambling them, a real omelet), a chart showing you which herbs to use to season your chicken/fish/meat, a list of substitutions for less common ingredients. 

And then of course, there were the recipes.  Some were familiar and some were for things far outside my scope of understanding.  Some pages, particularly in the dessert section (I'm fairly certain my sweet tooth came directly from my mother), were spattered and torn, even falling out because they had been used so much.  Other pages, I'm thinking of the section on relishes and sauces, were pristine..never used.  You would have thought I was reading a novel the way I pored over those recipes and imagined making them, what they would taste like, how they would look.

Cookbooks have changed over the years, and my love for them has only increased.  The cookbooks I own now have more pictures than that old Betty, they have more variety, and they have a more personal touch.  Many of my favorites have little vignettes before each recipe, stories of a time that the author/cook made that recipe for the first time, or how many failures they experienced before they got it just right.  These books are intended to be read, not just opened up for a specific recipe and put back on the shelf; they were created for people like me!

One of my favorites right now is The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.  Smitten Kitchen is a blog that I follow, but as much as I enjoy online content, there's nothing better than having an actual physical book to reference while you're cooking.  I'm a messy cook, so when I cook from a recipe on my computer I'm always afraid I'm going to spill something on my computer and ruin it...actually maybe that's why it's been running slow, maybe it's full of flour. 

While reading through The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, I came across a recipe for blueberry cornmeal butter cake.  I was so intrigued that I had to try it.  The recipe will be at the end of the post, but here's a peek at how it all came together:

 Sugar and butter the perfect combination!

 Blueberries, one of the best parts of summer.

 Streusel! See why I had to try this recipe.

 Perfection.

This page of my cookbook now has a greasy spot and a dusting of flour stuck to it...that's how it knows it's been loved.

Recipe (from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook):

Cake:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup all purpose four

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1/3 cup sour cream

2 cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry

Streusel:

1/2 cup sugar

6 tbsp flour

2 tbsp cornmeal

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 tbsp butter cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 8 inch pan with parchment and then butter and flour or spray with non-stick spray.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Use mixer t o beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and zest.  Add a third of flour mixture, then all of the sour cream.  Then another third of flour mixture, beating until just blended. Scrape down sides of bowl.  Mix blueberries with the remaining 1/3 flour mixture and then fold gently into cake batter.  Spread in cake pan.  

In the dry ingredients bowl mix everything for the streusel except the butter.  Then, use a fork or pastry blender to mash the butter in. Sprinkle over cake batter.

Bake until golden brown. (Note: the cookbook said about 35 minutes, mine took quite a bit longer for the middle to be cooked.  I used a round pan, not sure if that was the problem.) Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then run a spatula around the edges and flip out onto cooling rack.

Enjoy!