Distilled: Cornbread Cake with Blackberry Compote & Mascarpone

Cornbread Cake with Blueberry Compote,  Mascarpone Whipped Topping, and

Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup

Cornbread cake. Maybe not the first connection you think of with cornbread, but after trying this recipe, we think you will change your mind - we certainly did. Although we’ve always appreciated cornmeal's versatility, flavor, and ability to create deliciously sweet, salty, or savory combinations, a cornbread cake has suddenly become our favorite way to use it.  

 Perhaps it is owing to our cornbread, with its subtly sweet layers of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged flavor, which makes it ideally suited for sweet and savory recipes. Made using our Pappy & Company Heirloom Cornbread Mix, crafted in partnership with Marsh Hen Mill, in Edisto Island, South Carolina, using cornmeal grown and milled the old-fashioned way, in their family-run mill. With a similar dedication to craft, a "commitment to authenticity," and a "focus on honest food," we can honestly say you can taste the difference. 

Or is it the finishing touch of the delicious homemade blackberry compote with mascarpone (sold on that line alone, yeah, we were too)? More than likely, it is the combination of both, but whatever the reason for the flavor magic in this recipe, we have a feeling it will rise to the status of a favorite in your recipe repertoire as well.  

 As delicious as it is gorgeously rustic, this cake is equally suitable for a casual gathering as for a formal one, and ideal for a birthday brunch or a delightful dinner party. Somehow both elegant and fuss-free, with two stacked layers of cornbread cake that are dense yet light. Tender and decadent, they offer a surprisingly delightful texture for a cake, in both flavor and a display that requires no touching up, frosting, or extra flourish (beyond, of course, the blackberry and mascarpone topping, sorry we did it again).  

 The element that exalts this cake from delicious to divine is the addition of our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup. Using our signature syrup as a sweetener highlights the naturally nutty flavor of cornmeal with hints of Pappy Van Winkle barrel-aged buttery caramel and warm, oaky vanilla.  

 The blackberry compote topping is absurdly simple yet delivers incredible flavor. You can use fresh or frozen blackberries, and just an extra drizzle of our Pappy Van Winkle Pure Maple Syrup, with a small dash of pure sugar, to accentuate the blackberries' fresh sweetness. Juicy, tart, and beautiful, the blackberry compote is stunning and delicious. Depending on the season and what you have on hand, you can sub in your favorite fruit (we haven’t tried it, but we have a sneaking suspicion it would be fantastic with fresh wild blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries).  

 Of course, what wouldn't be delicious with whipped mascarpone? You know how people say there are certain foods so delicious that they'd be good on cardboard? We have a feeling that may have been first uttered about Marscapone. Fortunately, as a layer and a topping for a cornbread cake that is anything but cardboard, you can imagine the combination of flavor bliss that awaits.  

 Light, fresh, and surprisingly citrusy, this whipped mascarpone gets a subtle infusion of sweet, oaky, caramelized vanilla flavor from our Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pure Maple Syrup. Finish with a final drizzle of syrup and serve. Of course, if you would like, this could be served with fresh vanilla bean ice cream for a truly next-level dessert experience.