Olive Oil Cornmeal Cake with Blueberry Sage Fool

Fresh sage turns a rustic and lovely cornmeal cake into an earthy luxury.

This sage scented cake complements the Potlicker Blueberry Sage Jam that I used in a classic fool.  A fool is a simple and old fashioned dessert that could stand on its own but is a great accompaniment to other desserts.  It is, quite simply, sweetened whipped cream swirled with pureed fruit.  In this case I have substituted the puree with jam.

To create the mellow sage flavor in the cake I added 1 tsp of finely chopped sage to the batter and pressed whole sage leaves into the buttered pan before adding the batter.

This cake requires no special equipment or ingredients and can be in the oven in 15 minutes or less!  The cornmeal gives it a pleasant, slightly rustic texture, which I LOVE.  If you are going for more refined & elegant cake then omit cornmeal and increase white flour by 1 cup.

Blueberry Sage Fool

• ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
• ½ Cup Jam or Jelly (I used Blueberry Sage Jam)

Whip cream and sugar to medium stiff peaks.  In a small bowl stir jam or jelly briefly to soften, making sure there are no large lumps.  Fold preserves into the whipped cream leaving ribbons of jam.  Chill for 1 hour.

Olive Oil Cake

• 3 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk
• 1 1/2 Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 Cups Cane Sugar
• 2 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Cornmeal
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Sage, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Grease well 2 (9 inch) cake pans.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and the sugar. When well blended add the oil, milk, lemon juice and zest and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the eggs, and stir just until blended. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn out of pan while still slightly warm.  Serve slices of cake topped with jam fool.

Susan has a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and her peers bestowed an honorary award for merit in wine and beer. She is an accomplished pastry chef in DC and someone I go to for baking advice. Susan is my twin and I am constantly telling her that she should move to Vermont.