Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze

Somehow I’ve gone all summer without making a recipe using fresh sweet corn.  And that is a travesty.  To be fair, it’s been a strange summer with foot surgery laying me up the last six weeks (and thereby no baking), but my corn-less summer can’t stand.  So when I got an email from Bill Clark about his sweet corn cake, I was intrigued.

This recipe was from his A Piece of Cake newsletter #36, but Clark recommends—and in fact it’s the main reason for the recipe, I think—a Crisco and Country Time lemonade powder frosting.  I don’t keep Crisco on hand (or lemonade powder), and it didn’t feel up my alley as much.

I’m really not a frosting person in general, and “grease icing” doesn’t make me go MMMM!  But I liked the idea of some tart lemon (citric acid) to play a balancing role between the rich, moist, lightly sweet corn flavor, so whipped up a super easy lemon glaze.  

I also made one other big change to the original recipe, subbing in oil for half of the butter.  I don’t tend to favor butter cakes as much, as they’re denser and drier, and in this case I was really craving a moist, lightly sweet cake that would be an afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

While the recipe already called for a tiny bit of oil, I wanted to up that quite a bit, but still maintain some butter for flavor.  The result is a perfect balance of flavorful and moist, with the subtle sweetness of the fresh corn shining through.

I was tempted to add an herbal note to either the batter or a bit to the lemon glaze, such as a little basil, rosemary, thyme, or tarragon.  I ended up deciding not to mess with the recipe more in my first time making it, but would definitely play around with that in the glaze the next time.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and line an 8-inch or 9-inch cake tin (I prefer a loose-bottom one, resting on a tray).

Cut your corn kernels off the cob using a serrated knife.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temp butter and sugar for a minute, and then add the oil.  Continue beating until well-combined and glossy, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. 

Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to fully incorporate between each.  Add the vanilla.   

In two additions, add the flour mixture, then milk, then the remaining flour, mixing on low in between.  Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until just combined (don’t overmix!).

Remove from the stand mixer and gently fold the corn kernels in with a rubber spatula, to not overmix.  Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.  

Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes for a 9-inch cake and 35-45 for an 8-inch cake. The cake is done when a toothpick comes clean from the center (a few crumbs are fine).

Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

In the meantime, whisk up the glaze.  I do recommend sifting the powdered sugar, or you’ll get lumps that will show.

Once mostly cool, place on a serving plate and drizzle with the glaze.  

You can serve immediately, but I really love this the next day.

If you’re trying to figure out how to squeeze every last minute out of sweet corn season, I think you need this sweet corn cake in your life!!

Other ways to use fresh corn while it’s in season:

• Pasta with Fresh Sweet Corn Pesto
• Grilled Zucchini & Corn Pizza With Marinated Feta
• Fresh Corn Galette with Goat Cheese, Zucchini, and Thyme
• Creamy Charred Corn & Leek Fettuccine
• Tomato Grilled Chicken with Barley Corn Salad

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Sweet Corn Cake with Tart Lemon Glaze

Yield: 1 8-inch or 9-inch cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This delicious, moist sweet corn cake with tart lemon glaze is a perfect late summer treat, packed full of fresh sweet corn and super easy to throw together!

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Ingredients

• CAKE
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of regular salt) 
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/2 + 1/8 cup of oil (I used olive oil, recipe calls for canola)
• Scant 1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 eggs (room temp)
• 2 egg yolks (room temp)
• 3/4 cup of whole milk (room temp)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of raw, fresh corn kernels
• GLAZE
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon (mine was on the smaller side)
• ~1/3 cup of powdered sugar, sifted
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and line an 8-inch or 9-inch cake tin (I prefer a loose-bottom one, resting on a tray).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. 
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the room temp butter and sugar for a minute, and then add the oil.  Continue beating until well-combined and glossy, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. 
4. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating to fully incorporate between each.  Add the vanilla. 
5. In two additions, add the flour mixture, then milk, then the remaining flour, mixing on low in between the additions. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix until JUST combined (don't overmix!).
6. Remove from the stand mixer and gently fold the corn kernels in with a rubber spatula, to avoid overmixing.  Transfer the batter to your prepared pan.  
7. Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes for a 9-inch cake and 35-45 for an 8-inch cake. The cake is done when a toothpick comes clean from the center (a few crumbs are fine).
8. Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Whisk up the glaze.
9. Once mostly cool, place on a serving plate and drizzle with the glaze.  You can serve immediately, but I also really love this the next day.

Notes

• I was tempted to add an herbal note to either the batter or a bit to the lemon glaze, such as a little basil, rosemary, thyme, or tarragon.  I ended up deciding not to mess with the recipe more in my first time making it, but would definitely play around with that in the glaze the next time.
• A serrated knife will be the easiest for removing the corn kernels from the cobs.

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