Brown Butter Polenta Cake With Maple Caramel Recipe 365

BROWN BUTTER-POLENTA CAKE WITH MAPLE CARAMEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9"-diameter cake pan and line bottom with a round of parchment paper; butter parchment.
• Melt 3/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then cook, stirring often, until butter foams, then browns (do not let burn), 5-8 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl; let cool. Chill brown butter until cold.
• Fit a clean medium saucepan with thermometer and bring maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until thermometer registers 265°F (syrup will be thicker and a shade darker). Pour into prepared pan and spread with an offset spatula or a spoon to cover bottom; let cool (syrup will harden as it sits).
• Whisk almond flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat chilled brown butter and 3/4 cup sugar until very pale and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low, gradually add dry ingredients, and mix just to combine. Scrape batter into pan; smooth top.
• Bake until cake is golden brown and pulls away from sides of pan, 50-55 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool in pan 20 minutes. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, sour cream, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Serve cake with whipped-cream mixture.
• DO AHEAD: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

FRIED POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a 1 to 1 1/2 quart oven-safe container, stir together water, salt, pepper, and polenta
• Add butter to the mixture, cut up in chunks.
• Place container, uncovered, in center rack of oven and bake 40 minutes.
• Open oven, pull out rack, add parmesan, and any other ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, lemon zest, herbs, shallots, cilantro etc. and let bake another 10 minutes.
• Pull out of oven and let rest in refrigerator 20 minutes to over-night.
• In frying pan, on medium-high, heat oil.
• Spoon about half a cup of polenta into the pan at a time, fry until golden brown on each side.
• Let cakes rest about 3-5 minutes and serve.

CREAMY MAPLE POLENTA

Steps:

• Whisk cornmeal and water in medium bowl to blend. Bring milk and salt to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Gradually add cornmeal mixture, whisking constantly until polenta comes to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until polenta is very thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in maple syrup and butter. Season to taste with pepper and transfer to bowl.

BUTTERMILK CAKE WITH CARAMEL ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk (batter will be thick). Transfer to prepared pan., Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely., For icing, in a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and cream; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; cool 5-10 minutes. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar; spoon over cake.