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If you’re a coffee drinker, I think you’ll swoon over one of these cakes with your coffee. (But yes, they are wonderful paired with a cup of tea as well!) These golden sunshine-colored beauties get their lovely rich yellow color from cornmeal and pistachio or olive oil. They have a soft crumb that’s subtly sweet, tender, and moist, and are faintly scented of sweet citrus and vanilla.
The “Sicilian” part of the name for this recipe comes from the fact that I used my Fiori di Sicilia-Inspired Syrup to sweeten these cakes. Remember, Fiori di Sicilia (or “Flowers of Sicily”) is a floral vanilla-citrus essence used to make lovely treats like Panettone. The flavors also work wonders with cornmeal in these lovely muffins.
Pistachio oil is an uncommon ingredient, but when I spotted a bottle of it in my pantry (which was leftover from making Pistachio + Rosemary White Pizza), I couldn’t help but use it here. If you don’t have pistachio oil, you can substitute with extra-virgin olive oil or even a neutral-flavored oil, such as canola. If you go with something like canola oil, feel free to add 1 teaspoon pistachio, almond, or hazelnut extract to bump up the flavor.
Take a look through the ingredient list and you’ll notice that these cakes are much healthier than a typical dessert cake; they’re actually more like muffins, making them perfect for a breakfast treat along with some fresh fruit, as well as a pretty afternoon snack.
- 1 cup (115 g) whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup (140 g) yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) Fiori di Sicilia-Inspired Syrup
- ½ cup (120 ml) pistachio oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (180 ml) milk (I used 1%)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 400F; line 10 wells in a jumbo-sized muffin tray with paper liners (or butter and flour the wells).
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk together the Fiori di Sicilia-Inspired Syrup and oil in a large bowl; whisk in the eggs, and then the milk and vanilla.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet all at once, and stir until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray and bake until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean or with just a couple crumbs, about 20 to 25 minutes.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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I would love to try one of these with a cup of coffee, they look and sound delicious!
how could one resist anything with an enchanting name like that!?! :)
sicilian treats always get me excited because they are so full of fresh flavor and simple while still being so delicious! These little cakes are no exception!
Certainly swooning over them Faith. I love my coffee and a cake to go with it!
These cakes look great Faith…like the cornmeal in it…and yes, it wold be lovely with my coffee :)
Hope you are having a fabulous week!
So cute! They’re so cheerful!
I love the name of these cakes, they’d be perfect with my morning coffee!
ooohhhh I am a big time coffee drinker and this sounds a lot better to dip into coffee than any of the crap you can buy at the grocery store. I love the paper liners too by the way!
Also…I featured your amazing sounding Chocolate-Walnut Fudge recipe on my Top 15 Healthiest Tasty Treats list. If you want a badge for your site or just to check it out feel free to look at it out here: http://nickieslittlebubble.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-top-15-healthies-tasty-treats.html Have a good day!
Faith, these cakes just brightened my day! They have such a happy name and feeling about them! Love them! Adore your photos too!
I would love a couple of your wonderful little cakes, Faith.:)
I am a big fan of cornmeal based baked goods! The crunch, the texture…its just so fantastic. A coffee drinker? I’m a coffee fanatic! I could go for one of these with my coffee right now! THank you for your sweet comments on my post <3
What a tease these little cakes are! I’m half way through my first cup of coffee and now I can’t help but feel like we’re missing out! These cakes look fabulous, Faith!
Wonderful cakes! I love their name and composition.
Cheers,
Rosa