Polenta Grape Cake Recipes

POLENTA GRAPE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang; butter parchment.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium. Simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until butter turns golden brown and nutty-smelling, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; let cool completely. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, polenta, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat cooled butter, granulated sugar, and honey on medium-high speed until mixture resembles a sandy paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with milk, just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in 1 cup grapes.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake 15 minutes. Scatter remaining 1 cup grapes, rosemary, and sanding sugar over top. Bake until golden and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake using parchment and let cool completely on rack. Serve warm or room temperature.

SWEET OR SAVORY POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking dish with some of the melted butter.
• Combine polenta, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Whisk milk, eggs, and remaining melted butter together in a second bowl. Add flour mixture and briefly stir batter until well combined. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

ITALIAN FRESH PURPLE GRAPE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously butter and flour the 9 inch springform cake pan, tapping out any excess flour. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Add the butter, oil, milk and vanilla extract, and mix until blended.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and orange zest, and toss to coat the zest with flour.
• Spoon the flour mixture into the bowl of batter and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix once more. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the liquids.
• Stir in about 3/4 of the grapes into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
• Place the pan in the center of the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining grapes. Bake for about 40 minutes more, until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip.
• Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes, run a knife along the sides of the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.

POLENTA POUND CAKE WITH PEACH TOPPING AND MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Set up a grill for cooking over indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only.
• Spray the bottom of a loaf pan with the cooking spray; line with parchment paper, then spray with cooking spray one more time. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt. Set aside. To a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and granulated sugar. Cream until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolk and beat again to fully incorporate. Add the ricotta, Greek yogurt, vanilla and orange zest and beat again to combine, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix by hand to incorporate. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, then place on the indirect-heat side of the grill, close the lid of the grill and bake until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to an hour. Remove from the grill and let cool completely.
• For the peach topping: Meanwhile, add the marmalade, orange juice and peaches to a pot, place over indirect heat and bring to a gentle simmer for the flavors to meld together, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Make the mascarpone whipped cream: Beat the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar with a blender until whipped cream forms. Fold in the mascarpone and vanilla.
• Remove the cake from the pan, then slice and serve with the peach topping and mascarpone whipped cream spooned over the top.

POLENTA POUNDCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter and lightly flour the insides of a 10-inch round cake pan.
• Sift together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• In a mixer, on medium speed, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add 1 cup of the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy Add almond paste and beat again. Blend in vanilla and almond extracts, then beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, being sure that each is mixed in before the next is added. Alternately, beat in small amounts of the sifted dry ingredients and the cream to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
• In a clean mixer, beat egg whites until opaque, then add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until whites form soft peaks. Fold into batter gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. (Do not test or move the cakes before they have baked for at least 45 minutes since they are delicate and may fall.)
• Allow the cake to cool and when cooled remove from the pan and dust the top with powdered sugar. Cut into eighths or tenths.
• Serve this cake with summer fruits -peaches, nectarines, apricots, berries¿-tossed with a little sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a pinch of gray salt.