I don't regularly read Martha Stewart Magazine. But I have to admit that we have a huge stack of them in the basement. It appears that K's mom got a subscription using her airline miles. The middle class can hardly afford to purchase airline flights anymore... but hey, we can use unused airline miles for periodicals! And one issue gave me this recipe for a nice cornmeal sheet cake... something I would otherwise never have made.
Red, white, and blue colors perfect for July 4... as, of course, the magazine pointed out.
Martha Stewart's Berry Sheet Cake
-1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more
for pan
-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
-1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
-3 large eggs
-1 1/2 teaspoons pure
vanilla extract
-3/4 cup buttermilk
-18 ounces mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries,
raspberries, and blackberries (cut in half if large), plus more for serving
-Whipped cream, for serving
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking
pan and line with parchment, leaving overhang on long sides. Butter parchment.
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter
and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2
minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down sides of bowl
as needed. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2
batches of buttermilk and beating until just combined. Spread batter in
prepared pan. Sprinkle berries over top, then sprinkle with remaining 2
tablespoons sugar. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center
comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Remove cake
with parchment and cut into pieces (3 or 4 on short side, then 4 or 6 on long
side). Cake is best served the same day, with whipped cream and additional
berries.