Still, to this very day, I’m fighting a losing battle with breakfast. Deep in the throes of my second trimester of pregnancy, I feel hungry all.the.time. Yet breakfast and I- we’re still not pals. We’ve been writing each other postcards forever, and pretending we like each other when other people are around, but really, breakfast just kind of annoys me. Stop trying to dang hard, breakfast, seriously.
It’s because I’m so randomly picky when I wake up in the mornings. I’m rarely in the mood for cereal of eggs, but lately I am in the mood for cake. This Peach and Blueberry Polenta Breakfast Cake is a total lifesaver. It’s hearty, slightly sweet, and gets me through the next few hours without my hormones spiking out of control, or succumbing to the desperate pregnant-lady nap.
Not familiar with the desperate pregnant-lady nap? It’s the kind where I completely pass out and have crazy dreams, then wake up two hours later with a thick taste in my mouth and my arm bent at a weird angle underneath me.
Then, at night when I’m trying to sleep like a regular person, it’s impossible. I toss and turn and talk in my sleep, and wake up for a few hours all crabby before drifting back asleep. It drives my husband crazy. I use to be a total champ sleeper –bragging about it, even- and now I sleep like a teenage runaway, in bits and pieces throughout the day and with insane dreams.
But I’m getting off track (imagine!) Let’s discuss this breakfast polenta cake. The batter is only a little sweet; the sweetness of the cake comes from the fresh, slightly overripe fruit mixed in. It’s a hearty cake, baked with spelt flour and finely ground cornmeal. Since my tastebuds are all over the freaking place lately, I added a dollop of sour cream to my finished cake slice and wouldn’t you know; the tang from the sour cream is perfection. Don’t go too sweet with whipped cream on top, or anything; sour cream is where it’s at in terms of accompaniment.
I’m so looking forward to making this again when I can add a huge cup of coffee on the side and not feel guilty that I’m addicting our future child with caffeine. Better let him/her make that decision when they start college, you know? Start a lifetime of addiction off on the right foot, just like mommy did.
Anyway, cake! For breakfast! It’s the smoke signal of friendship between ole breakfast and I. If you need me, there will be a smeared plate of peach-and-blueberry crumbs in the sink, and I’ll be passed out on the couch in a nap, probably talking in my sleep.
Peach and Blueberry Polenta Breakfast Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups spelt flour
- 1 cup fine-grain cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg separated
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup ripe blueberries
- 1 peach, sliced thin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F and grease a 9″ round baking dish.
- Sift together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the egg white until medium peaks, then add the sugar and honey and beat until combined, and there are not more grains of sugar remaining.
- Combine the yogurt, butter and egg yolk until mixed well. Slowly add this to the flour until just combined.
- Fold the egg white mixture into the rest of the batter until no streaks remain. Stir in the blueberries, then transfer the batter (it will be pretty thick) to the baking dish and smooth out the top.
- Layer the peach slices on the top of the cake. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake is browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
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