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    Home » Cakes

    Olive Oil Polenta Cake with Grilled Apricots & Raspberries

    Published: May 20, 2015 · Modified: Jun 6, 2020 by thekitchenprep · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    As much as I love summer cookouts, when I think "grill" I often think "meat." And yeah, I like a good turkey burger or tasty chicken kebab, but you know that my heart belongs to just about anything falling into the category of "dessert." Every party needs a little something sweet, and there's no need to turn off the grill when it's time to serve dessert at your grilling get-togethers this summer!

    Thanks to my friends at Colavita, I had an arsenal of amazing, authentic Italian goodies to inspire me as I pondered ways to move dessert prep from oven to grill. No, really. I mean a triple-decker care package of foodie love.

    Olive Oil Polenta Cake is served up with grilled apricots and raspberries that have taken a soak in fragrant raspberry vinegar. A scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of tangy balsamic glace and some fresh basil complement the flavors and work together to create a fantastic balance -- sweet, savory, tart and creamy.

    This cake is just about foolproof; ideal for last minute baking. The texture of the cake is intriguing with its slightly crackly crust and moist chewy interior, polenta adding a little crunch and a hint of cornbread-like flavor to the mix.

    The apricots become slightly soft and caramelized when grilled, and they are nothing short of heavenly when eaten with a bite of vanilla ice cream and balsamic glace. {If you've never tried ice cream with vinegar, I highly recommend it!}

    Don't limit yourself to burgers and hot dogs at your next backyard barbecue. Save a space for some sweetness on those grates, and some room for this cake in your belly!

    Get $1 off Colavita products or 15% off your online order with this offer. 

    Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Colavita. As always, all opinions seen here are my own!

    Olive Oil Polenta Cake with Grilled Apricots & Raspberries

    Dianna Muscari | The Kitchen Prep
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 Servings

    Ingredients
      

    Fruit

    • 2 tablespoons Colavita Raspberry Wine Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 teaspoon basil finely chopped {plus extra for garnish}
    • 4 apricots {or peaches} halved, pits removed
    • 4 ounces raspberries
    • Colavita Balsamic Glace

    Cake

    • 2 eggs
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • ⅓ cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ cups Colavita Fine Italian "00" Flour
    • ¼ cup Colavita Polenta
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Optional: Powdered sugar for garnish Vanilla Ice Cream for Serving

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake pan* by greasing liberally with butter. Set aside.
    • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together raspberry vinegar, olive oil, honey and basil. Add halved apricots and raspberries to mixture and gently toss to coat. Set aside while preparing cake.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together eggs and sugar until pale. Slowly stream in the olive oil until fully incorporated. Mix in vanilla extract.
    • Whisk together flour, polenta, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet mixture until fully incorporated.
    • Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • Cool completely before cutting.

    For Fruit

    • Scoop apricots from vinegar mixture. Heat a grill or grill pan to high heat. Place apricots or peaches cut side down onto grill and cook until slightly softened and grill marks have formed, about 5-7 minutes.

    To Serve

    • Place a piece of cake on plate. Top with a grilled apricot and raspberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. Drizzle with balsamic glace and sprinkle of basil.

    Notes

    *I used a small, 6 inch cake pan for this recipe. The cake rose above the rim but did not spill over the sides, though I did place the cake pan on a baking sheet just to be safe. If you use a standard 9 inch, you may need to reduce the baking time.

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