Alison Roman’s Crushed Blackberry and Cornmeal Cake

I have a deep love for dessert and all things sweet, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve craved treats that are more suitable for snacking but equally as delicious and deeply as decadent as a chocolate cake. I also have a deep love for Alison Roman. Her recipes, including this one, are craveable, accessible, and exactly what I want on both a lazy weekend and a busy weekday. This cake is from Roman’s most recent cookbook, Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over, which provides recipes for no fuss entertaining – and this cake is the perfect example. It is lightly sweet, perfect for serving with a cup of coffee after a dinner party or enjoying with a friend or two on a late Sunday morning. It was equally as easy to put together as it is tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup) plus more for greasing the pan
• 2 pints of blackberries
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven 350 and grease the 9 inch round pan with softened butter.
• Take the two pints of blackberries and put them into a bowl. Top the blackberries with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and crush with a fork or your hands to release the juices.
• Next, whisk the dry ingredients together: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, brown sugar, salt, and remaining granulated sugar.
• Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together and then begin to whisk in the dry ingredients.
• Next, add the melted butter and oil in and mix until there are no lumps or clumps left.
• Once the batter is smooth, add in 1/2 of the berries and gently fold.
• Pour the batter into the pan and top with the remaining 1/2 of the berries and their juices.
• Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until it turns to a deep golden brown and pulls away from the sides.