My dear friend is having our family over for dinner on Saturday night, and she’s making what I’m sure will be a delectable feast. We chatted this morning, exchanging quick messages as I tried to keep Lucy content and she multi-tasked at work. Such is life with a newborn. I wish I had more time to dedicate to long letters and lengthy lunches. But instead, I try my best with the little time Lucy does allow, and I pray that my friends will continue to be gracious.
She told me she’s making a cornmeal cake for our dessert, and the mere thought of what was to come got me hankering to bake. I browsed online for inspiration and happily took out my pans and bowls a few hours later. While Lucy slept (she took a 2 1/2 hour nap today) I made this cake. The cake itself is moist and sweet. With a 1/2 cup of cornmeal, the batter has a rich golden hue and tastes faintly of your grandmother’s cornbread. The frosting is simple and came together in minutes. Butter, powdered sugar, dried apricots,honey, and my secret ingredient: sour cream. Sour cream gives the frosting a lovely consistency while also cutting back on some of the sweetness.
But what I like about this cake the most was how elegant it looked upon completion. With Lucy, I’m in need of cakes that present beautifully without a lot of time or fuss. All this cake required was a good serrated knife and a few hefty globs of frosting. I put her in one of my vintage cake stands and called it a day.
Cornmeal Cake with Honey Apricot Frosting
1/2 cup stone ground corn meal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 6-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Divide batter between two prepared cake pans. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until cake is a rich golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool ten minutes before removing from pan. Allow the cakes to COMPLETELY cool on a wire rack before cutting or frosting.
To make frosting, cream together butter and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in sour cream and honey. Cream until well combined. Fold in dried apricots.
To assemble cake: cut each cooled cake in half. Place one half on serving plate. Cover with a generous coat of frosting. Repeat with two more layers and cover the final layer with a hefty dose of frosting on top. (You will have on extra layer…you can snack on it now or later). Enjoy!