orange cornmeal cake + blueberry compote.

Hello.

It's been a while ... I think I'm losing my mind.

For one, I can't type. This will not come in handy during the essay portion of the MCAT.

For two, and this is even more trauma-inducing, I'm losing the deftness I had at baking. As in .. I used to do simple things really quickly- could make four wet mixtures and two dry without messing anything up, and I could improvise pretty easily. Now?


This is the only "new" thing I've baked in the past month. Sure, I made brownies once .. from a box. I made buttermilk chocolate cake, but I've made that before (it was as delicious as I remembered it to be, at least). I made a galette by replacing the pears with peaches. I made whole wheat muffins recently .. boring.

But besides the creativity part, I am messing little things up! Like with the muffins. I splattered a few drops of batter while mixing. I left my measuring cups all over the place and forgot where'd I left them. My cream of wheat bubbled over in the microwave. I cracked an egg ... into the garbage. It was meant for the bowl.

Ahhhh I need an intervention. And sleep .. but mostly just more time to bake.

I managed to squeeze this cake in last weekend! There were two main components. First, an orange cake. The cornmeal lends fabulous texture. The orange is refreshing, and pairs well with the next component, the blueberry compote. Compote sounds intimidating .. it's sooo easy! Seriously. And it tastes amazing and feels good to eat something you know is natural.

Lastly, you could add a lightly sweetened mixture of mostly sour cream & ricotta, along with some powdered sugar, maple syrup (or runny honey), and vanilla. This can be substituted quite successfully with vanilla ice cream or sweetened, freshly whipped cream.

Enjoy! And enjoy the 2012 Olympic Games woo!

Orange Cornmeal Cake, with Blueberry Compote
adjusted from Martha Stewart.

• 1/2 cup oil (I put 2 big scoops sour cream in the measuring cup before pouring in oil) 
• 2 eggs 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup orange juice 
• 1 1/4 cup flour (I used half whole wheat, half all purpose) 
• 1/2 cup cornmeal 
• 2 tspns baking powder 
• 1/2 tspn salt 
• zest of one orange (I didn't add this, and obviously it had less orange flavor, but it was fine) 

1. Whisk oil, eggs, sugar, and juice. 
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. 
3. Add dry mixture to wet mixture. 
4. Pour batter into greased square or round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. 
5. Remove from oven. Run knife along edges of pan to loosen sides while hot. Let cool completely before serving with compote and sweetened whipped cream, sweetened ricotta cheese+greek yogurt, or vanilla ice cream. 

Blueberry Compote 

I made this up. Adjust proportions to your desires. A little citrus zest sounds like an amazing addition!

• 1 cup fresh blueberries 
• 2 Tb water 
• 2 Tb granulated sugar 
• 1 1/2 - 2 tspns cornstarch

1. Combine blueberries, water, and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until the blueberries start bursting and the mixture gets liquidy. 
2. Stir in cornstarch. Heat a little longer until desired consistency is reached - the compote will firm up more once cool. 
3. Serve with cake, crepes, on pancakes, over ice cream, etc. Enjoy!b