Apple & Fig Polenta Cake

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Autumn's delicious harvest of apples and figs take the cake in this simple and hearty dessert: polenta gone sweet.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 (9.2-ounce) box DeLallo Instant Polenta (1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup pecans (1/2 cup in the batter, 1/4 cup on top)

Wet Ingredients:

• 2 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 eggs

Fruit:

• 2 baking apples
• 3 fresh figs (2, if they are larger)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9” tart pan with removable bottom or a round pan, lined with parchment paper.

Toast pecans in a dry skillet until browned and fragrant. Cool and chop. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the pecans for later.

Combine remaining pecans and all other dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Peel, core and slice the apples into very thin slices, about 16 slices per apple. Taste the apples for sweetness. Slice the figs into 6 slices apiece.

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients and beat lightly.

Working very quickly, combine the dry and wet ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to capture and combine any pockets of dry polenta and flour. Pour half the batter into the tart pan and arrange the apple and fig slices evenly on top of the batter. Then add the rest of the batter, using a spatula to spread it out to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with reserved pecans. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet in case of leaks. Bake at 350ºF for about 30 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove sides of tart pan. Serve warm.

More RECIPE ideas for polenta:

• Polenta Fritta
• Grilled Polenta with Seared Crimini
• Polenta with Arrabbiata Sauce

Serves 8 Printer-friendly version