Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your cake pan by buttering generously and sprinkling with flour. Tap the flour around the pan and remove excess.

Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set this aside. In a medium-sized bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Cream it on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla, and eggs. Mix this until it is combined.

Add the flour/cornmeal mixture to this and mix only until it has combined. You do not want to overmix at this point or you will wind up with a tough cake. When it is combined, pour half the batter into your prepared pan. Add half the berries over the top of this layer. Finish with the rest of the batter, it is a stiff batter, so it won’t spread easily. You can also dot it across the top if you want. Add the rest of the berries and press them into the batter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.