Bolo de fubá (Brazilian corn flour cake) - the first recipe I made in life

Most of you already know that I started cooking at a very early age – it was purely out of necessity, but it became a true passion over the years. The first recipe I ever learned how to make was this corn flour cake, or “bolo de fubá”, and it was my great-aunt Angelica who taught me how to make it – she would then after that cake teach me how to cook all sorts of food, mostly by phone. <3

I hadn’t baked her cake for several years for I no longer had her recipe, but after searching all over my place, including very old notebooks I finally found it – it is really, really delicious and exactly how I remembered it: tasty and very light in texture.

I have made other cornmeal cakes over the past years, but this is the one that got me in the kitchen for the first time ever in my life, the recipe that showed me how magical and wonderful cooking and baking can be – if it wasn’t for this cake, this blog would probably not exist, and that makes this recipe even more special for me.

Bolo de fubá (Brazilian corn flour cake)
my great-aunt Angelica’s recipe

1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
1 cup (120g) corn flour (fine cornmeal - fubá) – not corn starch, the same corn flour used in these tartlets
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (224g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 cup (240ml) very hot whole milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 20x30cm (8x12in) rectangular baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, and then beat the mixture on high until thick, glossy and very light in color – scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally during the making of the recipe. Turn down the speed to medium and slowly pour in the oil down the sides of the bowl, then beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix only until incorporated – do not overmix to avoid losing the air previously incorporated in the batter. Gently stir in the milk with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for35-40 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack.

Cake can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Serves 20

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze and a childhood memory

Days ago, while remembering my childhood and my beginning as a cook, I thought of the first cake I ever made and it occurred to me that I hadn’t made it in years. Many years. It was a bolo de fubá, a cake made with corn flour (not corn starch), a sort of very fine cornmeal – I instantly craved that cake but no longer had the recipe. Luckily, I knew exactly where to find a great recipe for it: my lovely friend Clarice adores bolo de fubá and she has plenty of recipes on her beautiful blog. With her help, I picked one and it was absolutely delicious.

I don’t know how difficult it would be for people outside Brazil to find corn flour, but I believe that in the U.S. it might be found since Kim Boyce has some recipes with the ingredient on her amazing "Good to the Grain".

Since cornmeal cakes are great paired with citrus flavors I decided to drizzle my bolo de fubá with a passion fruit glaze – it was a very tasty addition, but the cake is equally wonderful without it, too.

Cornmeal cake with passion fruit glaze
slightly adapted from my dear friend Clarice

Cake:
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
1 cup (150g) corn flour (not corn starch)
1 rounded tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180ml) canola oil
1 cup (240ml) boiling whole milk

Glaze:
½ cup (70g) confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons passion fruit juice

Cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup capacity Bundt pan (the one I used holds 10 cups and I had to bake the excess batter in a 1-cup capacity small pan).
In a medium bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the sugar, whisking, then whisk until thick and glossy. Gradually add the oil, whisking. Turn off the mixer, then sift the dry ingredients once again directly onto the egg mixture. Fold in gently with a spatula, then fold in the milk – the batter will be very thin. Pour into the prepared pan and tap the sides of the pan with your hands to remove any air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 10 minute, then carefully unmold onto the rack and cool completely.

Glaze: sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and add the juice, stirring, until you get the desired consistency. Pour over the cooled cake.

Serves 10-12