Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake
Another Tuesday and another Dorie recipe. This week Caitlin of Engineer Baker chose Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake.
The great thing about these challenges is that I am trying new recipes. In the original recipe it calls for figs. Well, if you know how picky of an eater I am, you know those went out of the recipe. I made a simple polenta and ricotta cake.
It is very easy to pull together and came out very tasty. I think next time I would add a bit more lemon and throw in a bit of chopped fresh rosemary. I added a few raspberries, but I would top with a dollop of whipping cream too!
Check out the Tuesday With Dorie entries here.
Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake
About 16 moist, plump dried Mission or Kadota figs, stemmed
1 c. medium-grain polenta or yellow cornmeal
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. ricotta
1/3 c. tepid water
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. honey (if you’re a real honey lover, use a full-flavored honey such as chestnut, pine, or buckwheat)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10 ½-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Check that the figs are, indeed, moist and plump. If they are the least bit hard, toss them into a small pan of boiling water and steep for a minute, then drain and pat dry. If the figs are large (bigger than a bite), snip them in half.
Whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt together.
Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the ricotta and water together on low speed until very smooth. With the mixer at medium speed, add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat until light. Beat in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are fully incorporated. You’ll have a sleek, smooth, pourable batter.
Pour about one third of the batter into the pan and scatter over the figs. Pour in the rest of the batter, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, if necessary, and dot the batter evenly with the chilled bits of butter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake should be honey brown and pulling away just a little from the sides of the panm, and the butter will have left light-colored circles in the top. Transfer the cake to a rack and remove the sides of the pan after about 5 minutes. Cool to warm, or cool completely.
April 29, 2008 @ 12:19 pm |
Filed under Blog Challenges, Dessert 
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Nina Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
Your cake looks delicious, I thought about leaving the fruit out of mine too. The cake had such a delicious taste.
Rebecca Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 2:19 pm
Way to go for trying new recipes! I wasn’t sure about this one either, but I’m glad I went ahead and did it.
amy Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 3:21 pm
Your cake looks yummy. I wasn’t too sure about this one either.
CB Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 3:30 pm
I agree. I thought the “cake” was good but I am not a fan of figs. Love the raspberry garnish for that pop of color. Great job!
Clara @ I?food4thought
Julius Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 4:40 pm
Looks really good!
Polenta and ricotta are not the first things I think of when someone says cake.
Julius
from Occasional Baker
annmartina Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
I think you were better off leaving out the figs. This dessert needs something tart like raspberries. I think it looks prettier without the figs too.
LyB Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
I love the idea of raspberries with this, it looks delicious!
Jayne Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
Nice photos - very pretty!
Lemon Tartlet Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 5:54 pm
What a pretty colour it came out as! Love the raspberries on top.
Dolores Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
I’ve been procrastinating about this challenge all week, and I’ve got a sprig of CSA rosemary on my counter at home looking for love. I now know how I’m going to use it… thanks for the inspiration.
Kelly Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 6:47 pm
I never thought of leaving out the fruit altogether. I would be curious to know if the taste or texture was much different. The raspberries look scrumptious.
Madam Chow Said,
April 29, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
I really like the addition of the raspberries - great job!
Caitlin Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 12:16 am
The raspberries on top look awesome - great ideas for branching out too!
zakia Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 12:37 am
your cake looks great! i never thought to leave out the fruit!
Heather Peskin Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 2:42 am
Your cake looks good. I might try it just plain too.
Danielle Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 5:07 am
Mmmm, lemon and raspberry sounds delish.
Cecilia Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
The cake is looking good! I’m glad that you enjoyed the cake, and using extra lemon for your next cake sounds like a swell idea. I’m definitely making this cake again, so I might try that as well.
mari Said,
April 30, 2008 @ 8:09 pm
I like your idea of serving it with raspberries. I loved the simplicity of this cake, it’s good plain or with the addition of dried fruits.
Natalie Said,
May 1, 2008 @ 5:01 am
Mmmm… that looks fantastic! I used the figs, but I wasn’t a really big fan of those in the recipe either.
Jackie Said,
May 10, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
Hmmm…polenta and ricotta in a cake; sounds very intriguing!
Jaime Said,
May 14, 2008 @ 1:47 am
what a perfect looking slice!
George Said,
July 1, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
I’m new to cooking so excuse me if this is a stupid question, but is it possible to bake something with honey in place of sugar.
I’ve been using honey from holyfoodimports.com and it is so good that I use it in place of sugar whenever possible since I’ve heard honey is a healthier sweetener than sugar.