This blueberry cornmeal cake is soft, moist buttery and full of juicy blueberries. Nutty brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor and cornmeal gives the cake a unique texture. The finished cake is coated with cinnamon sugar. You can make this easy recipe without a mixer! It’s perfect for breakfast or dessert.
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This recipe for cornmeal cake is one of those simple but special cakes! It’s unique and flavorful but you can make it in no time.
Blueberry cornmeal cake combines juicy blueberries with the warm, nutty flavors of brown butter and cornmeal. The finished cake is coated with brown butter and cinnamon sugar.
For more delectable one layer cakes, try my banana cake with chocolate frosting, olive oil pumpkin cake, and apple pie coffee cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Make this cake without a mixer and with just a handful of basic pantry ingredients. It’s as easy as my chocolate and lemon cake.
- It’s packed with fresh blueberries! For another yummy berry cake recipe, you’ll love this almond blackberry cake!
- Cornmeal adds a bit of a gritty bite and slight nuttiness to this cake just like it does in my cornmeal cookies recipe. You’ll also love my sfouf recipe. It’s made with semolina and has a texture similar to cornmeal cake.
Ingredients
Here are some useful notes on the ingredients for this blueberry cornmeal cake recipe.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter. To enhance the flavor, brown your butter! It only takes a few extra minutes and adds a rich, nutty flavor. See recipe card for instructions!
- Sugar: You can use granulated sugar or a mix of mostly granulated sugar with a little brown sugar. Brown sugar will add a little extra warm flavor. See recipe card below.
- Yellow cornmeal: Use fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal. Cornmeal is a coarse flour made of dried ground yellow corn. Cornmeal gives this cake a slightly gritty texture and adds a slightly sweet, nutty flavor.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon gives the cake a warm flavor and the finished cake is coated with cinnamon sugar! For more fall flavored cakes, try my pear and chocoalte cake and orange cardamom olive oil cake.
- Eggs: 2 large room temperature eggs.
- Sour cream and milk: Use full fat room temperature sour cream and full fat or 2% milk. Sour cream makes the cake tender and delicious like my banana and blueberry cake and chocolate gingerbread cake!
- Blueberries– Use fresh blueberries. Wash and pat blueberries dry before using. Frozen blueberries can also be used. Do not thaw them. Toss fresh or frozen blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter. This will help prevent them from sinking.
Substitutions & Variations
- Instead of blueberries swap in raspberries or blackberries.
- Full fat Greek yogurt or buttermilk can be used instead of sour cream.
- Add the zest of two lemons to the batter to turn this into a lemon blueberry cornmeal cake!
- Replace the milk with extra sour cream.
- I have not made this cake gluten free but most of my cakes work well using a 1:1 Gluten Free Flour such as Bob’s Red Mill. Cornmeal is typically naturally gluten free. Look for a label that says gluten free.
- Enjoy the cake as is or serve with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream!
- This cake is also delicious with the cinnamon cream cheese frosting used in this olive oil apple cake!
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)–Melt or brown the butter. To brown butter, melt it in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. Stir frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly then it will get quiet and turn an amber color and will have a nutty aroma. Pour the brown butter into a small bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon of the brown butter into a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs til pale and smooth.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)– Next, whisk in the the sour cream, milk, vanilla and brown butter til completely combined.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Then stir in the flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)– Fold in the blueberries til just combined. My blueberries sunk a little. To prevent berries from sinking, toss them with 1 tablespoon of flour before stirring them in.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Pour the batter into a 9 inch round or 9 inch springform pan. After retesting this recipe, we recommend using a 9 inch springform pan (not pictured) for best results.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn cake out and set on a wire rack. Brush with the remaining brown butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool completely.
Recipe FAQs
No. Cornbread is made with cornmeal but they are not the same thing.
Cornmeal gives baked goods a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and gritty texture.
Of course! Frost the cake if you’re looking for more of a decadent dessert. I recommend the delicious cinnamon cream cheese frosting used in this olive oil cake with apples!
Store this cornmeal blueberry cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Expert Baking Tips
- Spoon the flour into your measuring cup then level it off or use a kitchen scale. If you dredge the measuring cup into the flour, it will become compact. This can lead to a dry cake.
- Don’t overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients. Mix til just combined.
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Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Blueberry Cornmeal Cake
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter browned, divided see instructions
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (2) large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup (172.5 g) sour cream full fat, room temperature
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) milk whole or 2%, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) almond extract optional
- 1¼ cup (166.67 g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (79.5 g) yellow cornmeal fine or medium ground
- 2¼ teaspoons (2¼ teaspoons) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon optional
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) ground nutmeg optional, add up to 1/2 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (148 g) blueberries fresh, washed, patted dry, see notes section below about frozen berries
- 1 tablespoon (7.5 g) all purpose flour for coating the blueberries
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon (14.79 g) brown butter reserved from the amount above
Instructions
- Melt or brown the butter. Add butter to a medium skillet set over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the butter melts. Once melted, reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking the butter, stirring frequently. The butter will get foamy and bubbly then it will get quiet and turn an amber color and will have a nutty aroma. You'll also see brown bits start to form on the bottom. This browning will take around 4-6 minutes once the butter has melted. When the butter reaches this stage, remove it from the heat.
- Pour the brown butter into a small bowl. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of the brown butter. Pour it into another small bowl and set aside. This will be used to brush the finished cake. Allow butter to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom of an 9" springform baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and the eggs til pale and smooth. Whisk in the the sour cream, milk, vanilla and brown butter til completely combined.
- Use a spatula to stir in the flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Fold the blueberries into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Use the spatula to smooth the top.
- Bake on the middle rack for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.
- Run an offset spatula or thin knife around the edge of the pan to make sure the cake isn't sticking to the edge. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- While the cake cools slightly, stir together the cinnamon and sugar mixture in a small bowl. Heat the reserved brown butter in the microwave if it has thickened at all.
- Remove the cake from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper and set the cake on a wire reack. Brush the warm cake with the reserved brown butter. Immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the cake so that it sticks to the brown butter. Allow cake to cool completely.
- Enjoy the cake as is or see recipe notes below for additional topping suggestions if you prefer a more decadent dessert!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
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