My sister, Tina was coming over to do a photoshoot of a few of my favorite traditional Greek dishes. She took a lot of amazing pictures so I had a little something in store for her. For dessert, I’m made a Blackberry Cornbread Cake With Maple Whipped Cream.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 to 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Equipment: 10-inch cast-iron (ovenproof) skillet, 2 large mixing bowls, 1medium-size mixing bowl, hand-held electric mixer, whisk
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter, unsalted
2 cups of whole-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons of whole milk ricotta, room temperature
1 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of fine white cornmeal
3/4 cup of maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 pints of blackberries, reserve 1/2 of 1 pint for garnish
Pure Maple syrup for serving
Sprigs of fresh mint for garnish
Ingredients For Maple Whipped Cream:
1 cup of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of Maple emulsion (extract)
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
Cinnamon sugar for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Grease a 10-inch cast-iron (ovenproof) skillet with butter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla extract, ricotta, and eggs. In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, maple sugar, baking soda, and salt, whisk dry ingredients together until combined. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the buttermilk mixture until smooth.
Line the blackberries in the buttered skillet, then pour the batter over the top. Finally, pour heavy cream into the center of the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Directions For Maple Whipped Cream:
In the meantime, in a pre-chilled large mixing bowl, add heavy cream. Using a hand-held mixer, beat the whipped cream until soft peaks form. Add maple emulsion (extract) and powdered sugar. Beat until firm. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
I like to serve my Blackberry Cornbread Cake warm with a dollop of cold Maple Whipped Cream on top. Finish with a light sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and a sprig of fresh mint.
