CAKE, HONEY CORNCAKE

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cornmeal (split out 1/2 cup)
1 cup gluten free flour, such as Caputo
1 tablespoon sugar (optional plus 1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest rubbed together)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 oz salted butter, small cubed, soft
4 tablespoons or 2 oz honey
3/4 cup  milk
2- eggs
2 t vanilla

METHOD: Preheat oven 350°F. Prepare skillet or 9 inch cake pan, by buttering and lining with parchment; butter parchment. Set aside until needed.

1-Place 1/2 cup cornmeal of the cornmeal into separate small bowl. Add 1/2 cup boiling water stirring until no lumps; set aside.
2-Blend remaining cornmeal, flour, sugar with zest if using, salt, baking powder, soda and set aside. Beat eggs with vanilla, and milk; and 3-blend in 1/2 cup reserved cornmeal mixture.
4-Into dry ingredients cut in the first 4 oz of soft butter; add wet mixture to the dry plus butter mixture and stir just enough to blend and moisten dry ingredients. (muffin method- don’t over mix!).
5- Pour batter into buttered heated skillet, or 9 inch cake pan, buttered, lined with baking paper, and buttered again. Spread batter so center is lower than sides.
6-Bake 350 in warmed skillet until tests with clean toothpick in middle.
7-Prepare remaining honey (4 oz)  and soften butter(4oz) by beating together. Set aside at room temperature until cake is out of oven.

If using skillet, when cake is done, remove to cooling rack about 10 minutes.  Then cut into wedges while still in pan. Lather with reserved honey-butter so it melts into cake. You should get 16 equal pieces.

If using 9 cake inch pan, let it cool 10 minutes; remove cake while warm to flat plate, with bottom side up. Lather with honey butter so it melts into cake. Cut into 4 segments first, then each quarter in half and each of those in half to make 16 slices for the whole cake.

We use this cake as a gluten free cake for summer and fall stone fruit which we cook over the coals in a cast iron skillet with a little brown sugar, cinnamon or coriander and butter. Spoon warm over honey corn cake slice and spoon on generous amounts of whipped cream. Serve with some chilled uncooked fruit as well if you have lots of it! See recipe for Brandied cast iron plums!