- 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pint (2 cups) blackberries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sift cornmeal through a fine sieve, discarding any coarse grit (there may be 1 to 2 tablespoons grit). Resift cornmeal through fine sieve with baking powder and salt, discarding any coarse grit in sieve (up to 1 tablespoon more).
- Beat together butter and 1 cup sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in cornmeal mixture, then beat in eggs and vanilla until well blended.
- Spread batter in a buttered 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plate or gratin dish.
- Toss berries with lemon juice and strew over batter. Mix remaining tablespoon sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over berries.
- Bake “torte” in middle of oven until top is crusty (berries sink to bottom during baking) and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- Serve warm.