Tuesday 29 April 2008

A Cake You Can Really Sink Your Teeth Into



Welcome to my weekly edition of Tuesdays With Dorie where I get to tempt you, my readers, once more with a delicious recipe and photos from my most bestest baking book of all time . . . Baking, From my home to yours by my most bestest baking book author of all time . . . Dorie Greenspan! Yes, this is the one day a week I join in with some couple hundred plus (my . . . how we have grown!!) "Like Minded" bakers from across the world and bake yet another tempting delight from within it's pages.

I was so excited when I read that this weeks recipe challenge was going to be the Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake as chosen by Caitlin of Engineer Baker !!! I have always wanted to make a polenta cake, but have always been a bit afraid of it. Perhaps because I was thinking that it may be too much like cornbread and I'd have to break out the baked beans and ham . . . instead of the ice cream . . . I could not have been any more wrong in my thinking than that! This beautiful cake in no way resembled cornbread and I have to say it turned out to be the moistest, most lucious cake anyone could ever want to eat . . . . and . . . . oh so very yummy!



I decided to bake it on Saturday last and I went out to get my groceries in the morning. We decided we were going to shop at Lidl's from now on as the cost of food is escalating beyond what we can afford at our local haunt and Lidl's is fairly cheap in comparison. I figured they would have pretty much everything I needed that I didn't already have in the larder. WRONG!!! They did not have ricotta cheese. What to do . . . what to do . . . I knew Todd would rebel if I asked him to take me someplace else, grocery shopping not being his chosen way to spend a Saturday morning in the first place. I put my thinking cap on and ta da!!! I decided that I could use plain cottage cheese instead . . . I'd just put it through a sieve first. Problemo solved!

The instructions as normal were excellent and very easy to follow. I had a lovely jar of New Zealand Thyme Honey in my larder that I had been saving for a special occasion. I thought this would fit in perfectly with the Mediterranean flavour of the cake . . . especially where Dorie had mentioned tossing the figs with thyme leaves. I wasn't sure I wanted leaves in my cake but I thought the honey would give it the mysterious hint of thyme that would leave people guessing, but not being able to quite put their fingers on it . . .



I was a bit worried when I had read the other baker's experiences in the question and answer thread on the Dorie page and some of the problems they had been having, but I am the type of person that likes to do things by the book the first time I do them before I mess around too much with any recipe, especially a baking one. Okay . . . some might say that using cottage cheese instead of ricotta is messing about . . . and maybe it is, but they are like the same thing . . . sorta . . . kinda . . . almost . . .

The batter was really kind of runny after I had beaten in the honey. Her recipe had not stated whether we should use set or runny honey and I had used runny. I wondered after that if I had made a poor choice, but I crossed my fingers and kept going. It was not a really thick batter at the end of it all . . . but it was sleek and smooth and definitely pourable! I had no need to smooth the top with my spatula as the batter was thin enough that it just kind of smoothed itself out. It filled my fluted tart tin almost all the way to the top and I was a bit worried as I slid it into the oven that it was going to overflow all over the place and I checked on it frequently to see if it was.



All my fears were for naught! At the end I was presented with a lovely golden brown cake that neither overflowed my pan and looked perfect in every way! It was all I could do to wait until it cooled, patience not being one of my virtues, and one that I am constantly working on achieving. Once cooled I dusted it with some icing sugar and cut into it with a sharp knife . . . sliding that first piece out onto a plate for my Todd. (He's not only my husband, he's my taste tester) It looked to have a lovely texture and perfect in every way. I had really wanted to garnish it with some strawberries but wondered how they would go with the figs . . . but what the heck I went for it anyways, popped a lovely sliced strawberry on top, and he gobbled it down poste haste and went in for more! (He's rather lucky that way. He's as thin as a rail and can eat for England and never gain an ounce! I know! How frustrating is that!!!)



This is a lovely cake that I would definitely make again and maybe even without the figs at some point, but the figs did add a lovely crunch and texture to what was a beautifully rich and moist creation. I loved the flavour of the honey and I agree with Dorie, three days later and this cake is just getting better and better!

*Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake*
Makes 8 servings

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
1 stick (8 TBS) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 TBS cut into bits and chilled
2 large eggs

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 160*C/325*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 pan, 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.

Serving:
Serve the cake while it is still slightly warm or wait until it reaches room temperature, my preference. Honey cakes are good with tea, and this one's no exception. While I like the cake plain, it's very good with a little softly whipped cream that'e lightly sweetened with honey.

Storing:
Wrapped in plastic, the cake will keep for about 5 days at room temperature. In fact, it will be even better after it's had a day's rest. The cake can also be frozen up to 2 months; defrost in it's wrapper.

Playing Around:
For a cake that's even more reminiscent of a Mediterranean sweet, toss the figs with a pinch or three of crushed fresh thyme leaves or minced fresh rosemary.



Tune in next week when Elizabeth of Ugg Smell Food has chosen . . . . Peanut Butter Torte!!! Mmmm . . . . peanut butter, one of my most favouritest of all things!!! It might be very hard to keep my face out of this one . . . (not to mention my fork!)

41 comments:

  1. That cake looks wonderful! Yesterday I made the deviled pork chops - just for two, but it worked very well. A delicious and very quick meal afte a long day at work! I have some bananas too, so may try your banana cake!Thank you for the recipes!

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  2. You are quite resourceful using cottage cheese. I never would have thought of that, but it's nice to know it was a good substitute. Great job!

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  3. This looks a lot nicer than I imagined it to be - maybe I might make it one day when time allows. Inspiring idea to use cottage cheese! Hx

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  4. Ahhh I knew it...when I drooled at the photos I was thinking there's either corn flour or semolina in there to give this cake's texture...divine!

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  5. Ooooo..this looks delicious!! I've always wanted to try making a polenta cake...this gives me the extra nudge! I like the addition of the figs...yum! Happy Day, my friend ((BIG HUG))

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  6. Looks so yummy! You would have been proud of me yesterday. I made a cake for my co-worker's goodbye party. I put french vanilla cake mix in a castle bundt pan and drizzled powdered sugar glaze on it. I hope it tastes good! I'm kinda nervous about it. But it looks pretty! :)

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  7. Wow, looks great. I love the strawberries on top. I liked the cake too. I wish I had thought of cottage cheese.

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  8. Hmmm, maybe cottage cheese did some magic. Your cake looks beautiful. Mine was definitely cornbread--yours sounds divine!

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  9. Very beautiful, the presentation is lovely and the cake looks delicious!

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  10. p.s. I used cottage cheese too!

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  11. Your pictures are stunning. Mine wasn't nearly as "picture perfect" as yours. Looks delicious!

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  12. Your cake looks delicious! Beautiful photos, too!

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  13. Yours looks wonderful and light. I used polenta and I think it was too coarsely ground. It didn't turn out at all. I may have been inspired to try again.

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  14. Beautiful cake. Love the pop of color from the strawberries. Great job!
    Clara @ I♥food4thought

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  15. I love your photos! Your cake looks beautiful.

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  16. your cake looks lovely! good thinking with the cottage cheese :)

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  17. I totally know what you mean about making a recipe without substitutions the first time, but your cake looks just gorgeous, so you're obviously a very skilled baker! ;-)

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  18. WOW... I'm drooling just looking at the pictures of your cake.

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  19. That is one tall and gorgeous cake!

    Julius
    from Occasional Baker

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  20. How can Marie fail whatever you substitute.I have told you your The Best.Looks very inviting Marie though I do not like figs I think I would give this a try if it was put on plate for me.Wish I lived closer I would certainly take over th etesting for Todd LOL!!Forget the weighing scales.He-he.Well done Marie.Oh! and by the way what Man does like food shopping?if they are truthful about it.Have a lovely evening.Take Care God Bless Kath

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  21. I am amazed at how lovely your photos (and cake) turned out!

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  22. So glad the sieved cottage cheese worked for you! I adored this cake, and will definitely make it again. Yum!

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  23. Good call using the cottage cheese! I think next time I might leave mine plain with perhaps a dusting of sugar as you did--or with strawberries. I wasn't a huge fan of the figs.

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  24. Your cake looks great! Nice to know cottage cheese worked in this. I wish I would have thought of that. I had to have the boyfriend drive me to an extra store just to pick up the ricotta because the market didn't have any left. He was NOT happy about that and did try to rebel :) haha.

    Can't wait to see next week's post.

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  25. The honey you used sounds perfect with the hint of thyme. Glad to hear cottage cheese turned out ok too. Great job!

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  26. Looks great. A delicious looking crusty texture too and I like the idea of the powdered sugar.

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  27. You really.... really....realll... REALLY need to write your own cookbook. Pronto.

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  28. Lovely job on this! Did the thyme come thru in the final cake? Glad the cottage cheese sub worked out. It looks just fabulous!

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  29. Hmmm...way to go with the cottage cheese! It seemed to work out well for you because your cake looks amazing. Were you able to taste the thyme in the honey? I used lavender honey, and I could really pick up on the lavender flavor.

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  30. Cecilia, there was only a very mild flavour of thyme in the finished cake, which I was quite happy with. I am not sure I would have liked it to be really strong. I thought of using lavender honey as well, but I only had about 1/4 of a cup left in my jar!

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  31. Fearless Kitchen30 April 2008 at 17:02

    This looks really amazing. I love the fact that it lasts for a few days and that the flavors keep improving - it's something that I can make well ahead of time and not have to worry about.

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  32. Your cake looks great! I loved this recipe and plan on making all summer - trying out with thyme and rosemary, too!

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  33. Your cake looks wonderful!

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  34. Thyme honey ... hmmmmmm.

    Your husband loved this cake? Lucky you! Mine wouldn't touch it. He's holding out for the Peanut Butter Torte. Spoiled! ;)

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  35. Looks lovely, glad you both liked it!

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  36. Your cake is beautiful! Great job :)

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  37. great job on your cake! good idea to use cottage cheese!

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