TWD: Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake

All I have to say is - thank goodness I only have to choose once! This week was my turn to pick what our Tuesdays with Dorie group baked, and I had a heck of a time. I had so many criteria: no picture (have to use our imagination), seasonal, not traditional, and easy. Now, okay, so finding polenta and figs wasn't as easy as I originally thought it would be (I already had them on hand...), but the actual assembly was easy, right? This rustically Italian dessert honey cake was definitely not a traditional American dessert, and not traditional Dorie either - no chocolate! Given that the boyfriend wanted us to make chocolate gingerbread, I think I did him one better on the seasonal part too!

Again, this cake came together very easily, and since who the heck has a 10 inch tart pan?!? I used a 9 inch tart pan instead, along with some 4 inch tartlet pans for the overflow. Even with using two tartlet pans, I had them overflow just a little.

It also benefited greatly from a 24 hour rest on the counter, as all honey cakes do. I used an unfiltered honey from a local farmer, but could have used a slightly more assertive honey, as that flavor was overwhelmed by the figs. I didn't dot the top with butter, and I'd suggest lowering the amount of white sugar in this, because it seemed overly sweet to me. My tart and tartlets all baked for ~55 minutes, which is par for the course for me - I tend to have to bake things a bit longer than Dorie suggests.

In the end, I definitely enjoyed my pick (thank goodness), and I hope everyone else (or most everyone else) enjoyed it too! I didn't get the same type of rave reviews from coworkers that I've gotten in previous weeks, but I figure that makes sense - polenta, ricotta, figs, and honey aren't exactly the sorts of ingredients that Wisconsin is used to!

Last Week: Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Next Week: Peanut Butter Torte

Fluted Polenta and Ricotta Cake
(From Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from My Home to Yours)

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 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.