Lemon-Rosemary Polenta Cake

[John DePaula]

I was craving polenta yesterday, so I went looking for a nice cake recipe. Found this one by Edward Schneider in Mark Bittman's NYT column: Ed’s Lemon-Rosemary Polenta Cake.

I went ahead and entered the recipe here: Polenta Cake with Lemon Rosemary Syrup by Edward Schneider

The cake was so simple and the flavor combination of citrus and rosemary was just wonderful. I will definitely make this one again but want to improve it in one area: the polenta was just a bit too crunchy. I used Bob's Red Mill polenta, a medium grind product.

To correct this problem, do you think I could steam the polenta a bit, say 20-30 minutes, prior to incorporating in the batter?

[RWood]

I would just worry about the added moisture. I would maybe opt for a finer grind. I make a cornmeal cake that I use for individual upside down cakes with caramel roasted peaches. I find that just cornmeal gives enough of the texture, without being too "toothy".

[baroness]

I agree.

Steaming would add moisture; you could try soaking the polenta in one or two of the recipe's eggs for 30 minutes or so.

[John DePaula]

Thanks. Good suggestions. Call me stubborn, I may still try the steaming method with a corresponding reduced oven temp/extended baking just to see if that would work.

Cheers.