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
For Fruit:
2 tablespoons Colavita Raspberry Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teapoon basil, finely chopped {plus extra for garnish}
4 apricots {or peaches}, halved, pits removed
4 ounces raspberries
Colavita Balsamic Glace
For Cake:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Colavita Fine Italian "00" Flour
1/4 cup Colavita Polenta
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Optional: Powdered sugar for garnish, Vanilla Ice Cream for Serving
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cake pan* by greasing liberally with butter. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
Note:
*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.
