Okay, so I didn't know what to call this dessert except for good! This is not exactly a cobbler, cake, or pie. It's a simple treat , and, whatever you call it, it's easy to make and can bake while you eat supper. The cobbler cake also is special enough to serve for a fancy dinner (like Thanksgiving!). Everyone will enjoy the dessert, which is a little out of the ordinary, and it can be dressed up easily with rich vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. You'll need a large deep dish pie dish or baking dish for the treat to ensure that your oven stays clean as the blackberries bubble, bubble, bubble into sweet-tart yumminess. A little cornmeal in the batter provides a sweet nubbiness to the cobbler cake, and buttermilk brings a lightness to the texture of the dessert. Don't skip the fresh lemon juice and rind that are added to the berries. The lemon flavor really complements the blackberries and adds incredible tart flavor to the cobbler cake. And, yes, you can use frozen berries, if you'd like, but you'll need to add a few minutes to the cooking time. The dessert is best served warm with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream melting alongside. Enjoy!
Blackberry Cornmeal Cobbler Cake -- Serves 8
Blackberry Mixture
3 cups of blackberries
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 teaspoons of lemon juice, plus the grated zest of half a large lemon
Batter
1 cup of flour
2/3 cup of sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons (divided)
1/3 cup of yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup of canola oil
4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
In a large bowl, gently mix together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice and zest. Let the mixture sit while you mix up the batter. For the batter, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 2/3 cup of the sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, oil, butter, buttermilk, and vanilla together. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and stir or whisk them together gently until everything is combined (don't stir/whisk too much or you'll have a tough product). Heat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a large, deep pie dish (about 10-inches round or use a large casserole dish) with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the berry mixture on the bottom of the dish and spread it out evenly (it will be/should be quite juicy). Pour the batter over the berries. Sprinkle the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the batter. Bake the cake/cobbler for about 45 minutes (begin checking it at 35 minutes) or until it's golden brown and the berries and their juice are oozing through the top of the cake/cobbler. Let the dessert cool at least 15 minutes to firm up (and so you don't burn your mouth eating it) and serve it, cut into wedges, warm with ice cream or whipped cream.
