Lemon Polenta Torta
Brighten up any rainy, damp day with this sunny yellow polenta torta. Made with lemon zest and a lemon glaze, this is a rich, but not too sweet, cake which makes both a wonderful dessert or even a wonderful breakfast treat Italian style. A principal ingredient in this torta is polenta (corn meal). As you make the batter for this cake, let your thoughts transport you to a lazy afternoon in Nonna's kitchen when the polenta was cooking in a pot on the stove. And if you were lucky, you participated in the stirring that usually went on for about 45 minutes.
Polenta has been a staple of the Northern Italian diet since the 1700s when corn was first introduced in Italy. It replaced farro and other grains which were also cooked in the same manner and served as a principal element in the diets of the poor. It remains a staple today in the Veneto, Lombardy, and Friuli regions. But it is no longer a dish for the poor. You can find polenta served in a variety of ways on the menus of fine restaurants throughout Italy.
For this Northern Italian torta, you will need a very finely ground polenta, but an instant polenta will work also. To make this into a spectacular dessert, serve it with sliced strawberries or raspberries or a sauce made from fresh berries. It will also go well with a number of flavors of gelato - use your imagination.
Ingredients
1 plus 1/2 cup of flour (if 00 is available this is preferable, but all purpose will work also)
3/4 cups of fine polenta (or instant polenta)
Zest of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil (make sure you are using a good, fruity oil)
For the Glaze
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon water
Equipment
Mixer with whisk attachment
10" spring form pan
Making the Polenta Torta
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325degrees
Step 2: Grease and flour a 10" spring form pan
Step 3: Grate the zest from 2 lemons and chop fine
Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients (polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl and set aside
Step 5: In the bowl of the mixer, put the cup of sugar and four eggs and mix until they become light in color and have increased in volume - about 4 minutes
Step 6: Add the olive oil and lemon zest to the mix and blend until integrated
Step 7: Begin to add the flour mixture. Put in about 1/3 of the flours and other dry ingredients and mix until just blended then repeat until you have integrated all of the flour mixture. Do not over mix.
Step 8: Put the batter into the prepared spring form pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes. The cake will be done when it springs back when touched and has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Step 9: Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool completely.
Step 10: Mix the cup of confectioners sugar, lemon juice and water to form a glaze.
Step 11: Drizzle the glaze on the cake and let it dry.
Step 12: Transfer the cake to a serving plate.
Serve sliced as is or with fresh berries or gelato.
Polenta has been a staple of the Northern Italian diet since the 1700s when corn was first introduced in Italy. It replaced farro and other grains which were also cooked in the same manner and served as a principal element in the diets of the poor. It remains a staple today in the Veneto, Lombardy, and Friuli regions. But it is no longer a dish for the poor. You can find polenta served in a variety of ways on the menus of fine restaurants throughout Italy.
For this Northern Italian torta, you will need a very finely ground polenta, but an instant polenta will work also. To make this into a spectacular dessert, serve it with sliced strawberries or raspberries or a sauce made from fresh berries. It will also go well with a number of flavors of gelato - use your imagination.
Ingredients
1 plus 1/2 cup of flour (if 00 is available this is preferable, but all purpose will work also)
3/4 cups of fine polenta (or instant polenta)
Zest of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cups of extra virgin olive oil (make sure you are using a good, fruity oil)
For the Glaze
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tablespoon water
Equipment
Mixer with whisk attachment
10" spring form pan
Making the Polenta Torta
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325degrees
Step 2: Grease and flour a 10" spring form pan
Step 3: Grate the zest from 2 lemons and chop fine
Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients (polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl and set aside
Step 5: In the bowl of the mixer, put the cup of sugar and four eggs and mix until they become light in color and have increased in volume - about 4 minutes
Step 6: Add the olive oil and lemon zest to the mix and blend until integrated
Step 7: Begin to add the flour mixture. Put in about 1/3 of the flours and other dry ingredients and mix until just blended then repeat until you have integrated all of the flour mixture. Do not over mix.
Step 8: Put the batter into the prepared spring form pan and place in the center of the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes. The cake will be done when it springs back when touched and has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Step 9: Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Let the cake cool completely.
Step 10: Mix the cup of confectioners sugar, lemon juice and water to form a glaze.
Step 11: Drizzle the glaze on the cake and let it dry.
Step 12: Transfer the cake to a serving plate.
Serve sliced as is or with fresh berries or gelato.