Cooking with kids using fresh ingredients is the best. We love corn and grow our own – so summer fun includes not only throwing corn into boiling water for just a few minutes after picking – or finishing corn on the BBQ, but also making corn cakes. It tastes a bit like sweet corn bread with fruit and the kids love it. Of course cook with music – makes life happier all day – try my inspirational song ” Start the world all over again”. By the way in the picture of our corn in the early stage of growth below – you will see flax seed growing too. That is because we feed our chickens and quails flax seed to make their eggs more alpha omega rich – and so the manure that we use for fertilizing our vegetables and corn, has some of the seed in it – and voila – flax grows alongside our corn! Don’t you love and appreciate the miracles of nature and urban farming? We certainly do!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups fresh strawberries cut into slices
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; line bottom of pan with wax paper. Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
- Combine corn and next 5 ingredients (corn through eggs) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. The kids can do this – and love to turn the blender on and off. Careful of those little fingers!
- Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Kids learn to do this quite well after a few tries.
- Combine 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. This is definitely a kids job!
- Add corn mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Kids love this too. Expect some finger dipping for tasting here!
- Toss strawberries with 2 tablespoons flour; fold into batter. Of course a snack or two on strawberries on the side is to be expected when cooking with kids!
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack.
- Remove from pan and carefully peel off wax paper.
- Cool completely on wire rack.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light July 2002
