Best Polenta Grape Cake Recipes

HARD POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the milk, water, bay and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you MUST taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• When ready to use, remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.
• What a corncake!!!!

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.

POLENTA CAKE WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust with flour.
• Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat eggs in a separate bowl until light and foamy and mix into the butter-sugar mixture.
• Sift flour, polenta, and baking powder together. Fold into the batter. Stir in rum, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, and orange zest. Pour batter into the prepared springform pan and level with a spatula.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cover top with aluminum foil if it starts browning too quickly.
• Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the edges to loosen. Remove carefully onto a serving plate or cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• Stir orange juice and orange marmalade together in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until it has reduced to a thick sauce, 5 to 10 minutes. Slice cake and drizzle with orange sauce.

QUINCE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan.
• Place quince in a bowl and cover with fresh water; add lemon juice and set aside.
• Cream together eggs and cane sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until pale. Add almond meal, polenta, yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and baking powder and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Drain the quince and top the batter with quince slices, pushing down slightly to make them fit.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cover cake with aluminum foil and continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes more.
• Allow to cool about 30 minutes before topping with sliced almonds.

SPICY POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Combine the milk, salt and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking constantly, until the polenta tightens and there are no lumps, about 4 minutes. Stir in the queso blanco, butter, cilantro, pepper and jalapeno. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Generously butter a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Pour the polenta into the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, until firm.
• Preheat a griddle pan over medium heat. Invert the polenta onto a clean cutting board and slice it into nine 3-inch squares. Brush the squares on both sides with the olive oil, then griddle them until golden brown and warmed through, about 3 minutes per side. While warm, drizzle the polenta cakes with the honey and squeeze lime juice over the top. Serve.

ITALIAN GRAPE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray or butter and flour; set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together the eggs and sugar until the mixer is thick; about 3-4 minutes. Add in the milk, oil, butter, orange zest, and cinnamon, and mix until combined. Mix in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in the purple grapes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
• Bake on the center rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge, the release and remove the sides of the pan. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH RED GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, almonds, polenta, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat eggs, sugar, and zest with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; slowly add oil. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
• Spoon batter into pan; scatter 1 cup grapes over top. Bake for 15 minutes. Scatter remaining cup grapes over cake. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes more. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out, and cut into squares.

CREAMY POLENTA WITH SAUSAGES AND ROASTED GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir polenta and 2 1/2 cups water in a medium microwave-safe bowl; add 1 thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a plate. Microwave for 4 minutes. Carefully remove plate and whisk polenta. Cover and microwave for 4 minutes longer. Repeat until polenta is soft, adding more water by 1/4-cupfuls if too thick, 10-12 minutes total, depending on strength of microwave. Stir in butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausages and fry until browned, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add broth, remaining 2 thyme sprigs, grapes, and shallots to skillet; transfer to oven. Roast, turning grapes and sausages halfway through cooking time, until grapes begin to caramelize and sausages are cooked through and begin to burst, 12-15 minutes.
• Spoon polenta into wide, shallow bowls. Arrange sausages and grapes over. Add wine to skillet; stir over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Drizzle pan sauce over sausages. Sprinkle with parsley.