Lemon Cornmeal Cake

I just made this cake for a family picnic on Saturday, but I forgot to take a picture of it, so I'm using a picture from the first time I made it. I really couldn't get my act together and plan something to make to bring. I was actually planning to try an olive oil cake with candied oranges, which I still plan to make soon, but I was really tired on Friday night and was trying to take good care of myself because I had another plugged milk duct (a recurring problem I'm having with Adeline), so I went to bed and figured I come up with something on Saturday morning. By some miracle I thought of this cake and actually had all the ingredients I needed to make the cake and glaze. I didn't bother with the blueberry sauce this time. I really like the blueberry sauce, but I don't think the cake needs it to be really good.

The recipe for this cake came from bon appetit. The recipe is online. It struck me on Saturday morning that this is a really easy cake to make. Not only did I not need my mixer, but it bakes in one pan and you glaze it while it's hot, so no need to let it cool before frosting it like with most cakes.

I followed the recipe just as it was written, so just follow the link above if you decide to try it. I figured I would just add some thoughts about baking/cooking in general.

First is the fastest, easiest way I've found to get lemon (or other citrus) zest. I use a microplane (Microplane 40020 Classic Zester/Grater). It is fantastic. I've also used the small shredding side of a cheese grater and the traditional hand held zesters. The microplane is by far the best I've used. I got mine as a gift from my mother-in-law, but it would so definitely be worth the money if I'd bought it myself. Considering how much I use mine, I don't even think $10-$15 is much to spend on one.

Another thing I thought I'd share is the order in which I whisk liquids together. I also start with eggs in a bowl and whisk them. Then I add the melted butter while I'm whisking. I never worry about the butter being completely cooled. I just melt it as the first thing I do when I start a recipe and then add it when it's time. Next I add the milk and vanilla extract slowly while whisking. I find that I end up with better blended liquids by doing this. Basically, I start with the thicker, fattier liquids and work towards the milk and vanilla extract. When a recipe calls for brown sugar, I always whisk that in with the egg before adding other liquids.