Big City, Little Kitchen

This unassuming, modest-looking Venetial Apple Cake is, so far, my favorite recipe from the new book of Babbo restaurant’s desserts, Dolce Italiano, by Gina De Palma.  Polenta lends it a slight chewiness; a grated apple nearly dissolves into the rest of the batter when baked, producing a sweet flavor that is intensified by the addition of honey and ginger.

Perhaps the best element of all, though, is the extra-virgin olive oil.  The result is, for lack of a better word, so interesting that I’ve made this cake three times in as many weeks; I’m still ruminating over how the flavors meld and compliment each other.  There is a definite “olive oil-ness” in the flavor, but even to my American palate, it doesn’t seem out of place in a dessert.  I like it dusted with powdered sugar, a day or two old–keep it wrapped tightly in plastic, and you will find that the texture settles in a bit, yielding a slightly denser cake (a good thing, I think, especially when it comes to a polenta dessert) and intensified flavors.

Venetian Apple Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup instant or fine polenta (fine cornmeal works here too)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 large  Granny Smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
• 8 tb (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tb extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan, tapping out excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, polenta or cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and spices.  Set aside, along with the grated apple in its own bowl.

In a standing mixer on medium speed, cream the butter, olive oil, and sugar until lightened in color, one to two minutes, scraping down sides as needed.  Stop the mixer, pour in honey, and resume beating on medium until mixture is smooth, about one minute.  Beat in eggs one at a time until well-blended, then vanilla extract.

On low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients, the milk, and the remaining dry ingredients.  Beat mixture at medium speed for about 30 seconds, then fold in the grated apple with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are golden and just beginning to pull away from the pan.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely.  Re-invert onto serving dish and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Serves 8.