Sweet Corn Cake
The sweetness of corn makes it a natural for desserts and a touch of lime and salt makes it even better. I got the idea of using freeze-dried corn from a recipe for Corn Cookies by Christina Tosi. She ground it up and used it to give
an intense corn flavor to the cookies. This tea cake recipe uses both the ground-up freeze-dried corn and fresh corn
kernels, making it a perfect seasonal recipe. Serve it plain right after baking with a cup of tea or dress it up for a
dinner party dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Sweet Corn Cake
This sweet corn cake blends freeze-dried corn, fresh kernels, and lime for an irresistible seasonal dessert. Enjoy it with tea or elevate it with vanilla ice cream for an elegant dinner party treat.
Ingredients
- 1 ear sweet corn
- 1½ cups flour, all-purpose or gluten free
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons freeze-dried corn, ground
- ½ teaspoon salt, finely ground
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (1 stick)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs, preferably local, free range
- ½ cup whole milk
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Vanilla ice cream, optional for serving
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional for serving
Instructions
- Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cut the kernels off the cob and set aside for later. Put 3 tablespoons of the freeze-dried corn into a food processor or spice grinder and process until it is finely ground, almost powdery.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, the ground freeze-dried corn and salt together and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, until combined and then gently stir in the reserved kernels of corn. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the zest and juice of the lime with the powdered sugar until smooth. Pour over the hot cake when it comes out of the oven. After it has cooled slightly, cut into nine squares. Serve each square by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a touch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Nutrition
Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 405mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 445IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
