Baking with oil is an excellent choice for cakes that have denser flours like the cornmeal in this enchanting Strawberry-Orange Blossom Cornmeal Cake. The texture is beautifully tender, and orange blossom water adds delicate floral notes, creating a sensory experience that’s reminiscent of strawberry shortcake—only better.
Strawberry-Orange Blossom Cornmeal Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream, room temperature
- ½ cup (120 grams) heavy whipping cream, room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 grams) neutral oil
- 1 large egg (50 grams), room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk (19 grams), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) tightly packed orange zest
- ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) orange blossom water
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (80 grams) fine-ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 2 cups (300 grams) halved fresh strawberries (quartered if large), divided
- Orange Blossom Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
- Garnish: granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup (200 grams) sugar, sour cream, cream, oil, egg, egg yolk, orange zest, and orange blossom water until well combined, stopping to scrape sides of bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture, whisking just until combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Fold in 1 cup (150 grams) strawberries.
- Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray with flour. Line pan with parchment paper. Spoon batter into prepared pan; using a small offset spatula, spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 18 minutes. Gently press remaining 1 cup (150 grams) strawberries, cut side down, into top of cake; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon (12 grams) sugar. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 28 minutes more. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove sides of pan; let cake cool completely on pan base on a wire rack.
- Discard parchment; place cooled cake on a serving plate. Serve with Orange Blossom Whipped Cream, and garnish with sugar, if desired.
Orange Blossom Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
- 4 teaspoons (16 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) orange blossom water
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients by hand until medium-stiff peaks form. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This was just wonderful. Orange pairs so well with strawberry. I used 75% of the sugar amount for the cake, and just one tablespoon for the whipped cream, and it was just perfect. I also always replace b.p. with b.s., cornstarch, and cream if tartar, and it worked so well here.