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A delicious strawberry cornmeal cake in a cast iron skillet with slices cut and whipped cream on top
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5 from 9 votes

Strawberry Cornmeal Cake

This Strawberry Cornmeal Cake has a delicious tartness that shines against the moist, pleasantly coarse texture of cornmeal with a a crisp sugary topping.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Southern
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 572kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tbsp plain goat cheese
  • 2 tsp vanilla paste
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries halved
  • 1/2 cup fresh rhubarb (optional) halved
  • 2 tbsp turbinado sugar

For the Topping

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar
  • 3 fresh rosemary sprigs up to 4

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a 9” or 10" cast iron skillet in the oven while the batter is prepared.
  • In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal and salt. Set aside.
  • Using the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed. Slowly add the sugar. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Crumble in the goat cheese and turn the mixer down to low speed.
  • Slowly add in the dry ingredient mixture, being careful not to over mix. Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla bean paste, mix well to combine all the ingredients.
  • Remove skillet from the oven and drop a tablespoon of salted butter into the hot skillet, it should sizzle and melt pretty quickly. Once the butter has melted, pour cornmeal cake batter into the hot skillet.
  • Using a silicone spatula, smooth over the top of the batter. Evenly place strawberries (and rhubarb if using) on top of the cake, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes.

For the Whipped Cream

  • Pour the heavy whipping cream into a small bowl. Add in vanilla bean paste and rosemary sprigs. Stir to combine.
  • Cover, place in the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best.
  • Remove infused cream from the fridge. Sprinkle in confectioners sugar.
  • Beat cream on medium-high speed until thick, stiff peaks form, about 4-5 minutes.

Video

Notes

* If you don’t have vanilla bean paste on hand, replace with pure vanilla extract.
* Fine yellow cornmeal is best for this recipe. Stone-ground will also work, the texture will just be a bit more rustic.

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 1143IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg