rosemary cornmeal cake

Qutoes from this mornings Research and Development team meeting:

Kyle: "I like this, it's sweet, but not too sweet. I can't decide if I should call it sweet or savory"

Carrie: "It's not heavy like cornbread and sitting like a rock in my stomach. You really got the perfect amount of oil in this."

Kyle: "What are you going to pair this with? My first thought is it would go great with chicken. I mean, well, that's not what you will do with it I'm sure, but, okay, maybe roast vegtables?"

Carrie: "Yeah, this would go great with fish.....I'm going to eat all of this right now."

Kyle: "Me too- hey this would also be great for breakfast. Do vegans eat orange marmalade? Like spicy marmalade? It would be great for breakfast with that on it. Hey, are you going to put that on your blog? The marmalade part?

Kyle and Carrie are some members of my Research and Development team, also know as my friends ready to eat my baked goods and tell me all about it. This conversation took place in our workroom this morning as we were dreading the fatefull three hours of work that were ahead of us. The cornmeal cake lifted our spirits and gave us something to talk about instead of the usual complaining about work. I stood there in amazement as they both carried on a good 5 minute converstation about how the cake tasted, what they would pair it with, and how it should be served. Ummm, where are their food blogs I want to know? I love that they both immediatley paired my semi-sweet vegan cake with meat. How hilarious! Maybe it's the rosemary?

I, too enjoyed this cake as much as my "team" which is why I wanted to share it with you. It's like cornbread but not, like a cake but not. It kind of makes it's own catergory hovering between sweet and savory, breakfast or dessert, plain or adorned (with spicy vegan marmalade??) This is a classy cake, one of those you can feel comfortable taking into any situation. A vegan cake paired with meat? Now that's compatibility.

I was set on putting rosemary in something I baked. Maybe it's because the seasons are starting to change and I feel a need to put spices and herbs in just about anything I cook. Bay leaves have started appearing in my cooking at least once a week and I just simply cannot get enough sage. Also, in a couple of months it will be the right weather for cornbread with hearty stews and chilies. However, I must live in the present. The weather is still warm. Although I am looking forward to pumpkins, hearty soups and dense breads, I must be mindfull of my current situation and remember that it is still hot outside and eating these things would promote (even more) laziness. I wanted something sweet, not cloying, that reminded me of bright weather- no matter the season. Incorporating herbs into your sweet baking is a wonderful thing. Herbs like sweet things too, just as much as you do.

you will need these:
2 mixing bowls
8 inch cake pan
wooden mixing spoon

flour mixture:
2 C cornmeal (organic if possible)
1 C spelt flour (found in the health food section or health food store- you could use all purpose, just take out 2 tablespoons seeing as spelt flour is a bit more dense)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 C vegan, organic powdered sugar

liquide mixture:
1/3 canola oil
2 C club soda

1 T fresh rosemary or 3/4 T dried rosemary (chop it up into really small bits. i did not do this the first time and believe me it was not fun picking sticks of rosemary out of my teeth)

*try adding the zest of an organic lemon. i really regret i forgot this part and will be sure to do it next time. would also look great as a grarnish

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. grease cake pan and set aside

blend together flour mixture making sure all the bits of flour have been crumbled up

in a seperate bowl whisk together oil and club soda

make a well in the flour mixture and pour the liquid into the dry flour. mixing as you go (adding the rosemary and zest at this point) and making sure not to overmix

----the batter at this point will be very, very wet and you will have a strong urge to add more flour and thinking i must be crazy with my recipe writing. this is not true. do not add more flour whatever you do. even i thought i was crazy when i poured it into the pan. but it works, please trust me.

pour into greased pan and bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. also, you can always trust your nose. when it smells the most aromatic, it's probably ready to come out.

when it's cooled and you are ready to serve it, try dusting some powdered sugar and lemon zest on top for a beautiful presentation. or perhaps you were going to go for the spicy vegan marmalade?

serves 8-10