Blueberry-Corn Flour Poundcake

I’ve been on a mad tear with the corn flour lately: corn flour biscuits, corn flour pancake, corn flour bread. Corn flour, which is super-fine ground cornmeal, adds a subtle corn flavor and stunning yellow hue to baked goods—all of the corn flavor with none of the grit. Although corn flour is gluten-free, I tend to use it for flavor rather than a flour substitute because when used in large amounts, the texture of cakes and breads become dry and crumbly. By far, my favorite corn flour treat has been this blueberry-corn flour poundcake. One taste of this poundcake and you’ll understand why blueberry and corn is a refreshing food pairing that offers respite from the humid haze of summer months.

 

Blueberry – Corn Flour Poundcake
Yield: 1 10-inch cake

I’ve read that you can substitute corn flour with cornmeal pulverized in a food processor but I disagree. A food processor can never approximate the fluffy powdery texture of commercially milled corn. Bob’s Red Mill is the most widely available commercial brand and you can find it in the gluten-free baking section of the supermarket aisle.

300 grams unsalted butter
430 grams granulated sugar
1 ea lemon zest
5 grams kosher salt
220 grams eggs, warmed to room temperature
180 grams whole milk, warmed to room temperature
5 grams vanilla extract
280 grams all-purpose flour
180 grams yellow corn flour
12 grams baking powder
250 grams fresh blueberries, halved

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift flours with baking powder. Combine milk and vanilla extract and set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar, salt and lemon zest until pale in color. Add the eggs gradually, scraping down after each addition, and continue creaming until smooth. Alternately add the dry ingredients and milk to the creamed mixture (starting and ending with the flours). Fold in the blueberries by hand and pour the batter into a greased, lined 10 inch cake pan. This cake browns quickly so don’t judge by color; bake the cake until the center is firm and springy to the touch (about 45 minutes). Let the cake cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool.

 

NOTES:

• This is the rare instance in which I use all-purpose flour, instead of cake flour, for a cake.
• The high proportion of liquid and sugar necessitates the use of some wheat flour to add structure to the cake.
• Mixing the batter with room temperature ingredients will lessen the chance that the batter will curdle. If it curdles, add a tablespoon of flour and mix on medium high speed for a few seconds to warm and smooth out the batter.
• British and Australian readers, take note that the corn flour I refer to here is finely ground cornmeal, and not cornstarch.