Peach Polenta Cake – A Gluten-Free Dessert

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An Italian-inspired favorite with a delicious twist! Not too sweet and loaded with bites of fresh peach, my Peach Polenta Cake is going to be your new favorite dessert. SO good! And gluten-free!

Peach Polenta Cake – An Updated Version of A Classic Dessert

When it comes to cake, I’ve always preferred mine to be sweet. But not too sweet. Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved polenta cake.

Compared to some others, polenta cakes use a fair modest amount of sugar. The inclusion of almond flour gives it a bit more depth and density than other cakes, plus a slightly nutty flavor. Polenta – a kind of coarsely ground cornmeal – adds to the savory quality and gives the cake a wonderful texture.

Polenta cakes are a delicious combination of rustic and refined. And because there’s no standard flour involved, they can be gluten-free if the right ingredients are used. Since more and more of my friends are adhering to gluten-free diets, this is a big plus in my book!

But the real inspiration for this recipe arrived at the same time as peach season.

Fresh peaches are my very favorite fruit, so I’m always looking for new ways to use them. When displays of gorgeous local peaches arrived in my market, I got an idea.

Why not combine my favorite fruit into one of my favorite desserts?

It took a few tries to get it right, but the end result was worth the trouble.

With peaches bringing a burst of juicy sweetness and vibrant flavor to every bite, this Peach Polenta Cake is a surprising and scrumptious twist on an Italian classic. I don’t make or eat a lot of desserts. When I do, I want them to be worth the calories.

This Peach Polenta Cake definitely makes the cut.

What You Need to Make Peach Polenta Cake

The ingredient list for this cake is pretty short. You’ll need:

Fresh Peaches

You want to look for fresh peaches that are just becoming ripe. By that, I mean that the flesh gives just a little if you give it a gentle squeeze. A soft and very ripe peach is delicious to eat but will be too juicy to bake into a peach polenta cake as they will likely sink to the bottom. The same is true for canned or frozen peaches. 

Cornstarch

You’ll use this to coat the fruit, which will help prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the cake. If gluten isn’t an issue for you, flour will work, too.

Almond Flour or Meal

This is just finely ground almonds. You can find it in the baking aisle of most supermarkets these days. I like Bob’s Red Mill as well as the Simple Truth brand, but I’m sure any brand would work.

Polenta

Use coarse ground polenta for this recipe, the type that takes 20-30 minutes to cook, not the instant variety. If you can’t find polenta, you could substitute coarse ground yellow corn meal. When making a gluten-free cake, be sure that the polenta you buy says gluten-free on the package.

Baking Powder

Make sure yours is fresh. An unopened can of baking powder may be good even a year after the expiration date. But an opened can is probably g for only six months, even within the expiration date. Once again, if you’re making a gluten-free cake, make sure the baking powder says it’s gluten-free.

Sugar 

Just white, granulated sugar.

Butter 

Any good quality butter will do, unsalted or salted.

Eggs 

Your standard, large eggs!

Tips For Making Peach Polenta Cake

Peach Polenta Cake is really very easy to make. The ingredient list is short, and so is the time it takes to mix up the batter. However, polenta cake is a little different than other cakes you might have made, so there are a few things to keep in mind.

Rising, Beating, and Baking

First, because it doesn’t use regular flour, this is quite a dense cake. It won’t rise as easily as a standard flour-based cake.

Beating the butter and sugar together for a full 3 minutes gets more air into the batter, which will help the rise. So will the addition of lots of fresh baking powder. Also, this cake needs more than an hour to bake fully. Be sure to plan accordingly.

Because polenta cake is so dense, even if you do all of the above, the center of the cake might sink a bit after you take it from the oven. But don’t worry, it’ll still taste fantastic.

Prepping and Baking the Peaches

A little extra care is needed to prevent your peaches from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

First, as suggested above, choose peaches that are just beginning to ripen. Peel them, remove the pits, and cut them into small pieces, about one-inch square.

Blot the peach pieces with paper towels to soak up the extra juice. Next, place them in a sieve and sprinkle with cornstarch, shaking the sieve gently to coat the peaches. This coating of cornstarch will help keep them suspended in the batter so they don’t sink to the bottom.

Let it Cool

It’s best to use a greased, nonstick springform pan for this cake.

If you decide to use a regular cake pan, it must be 2.5 to 3 inches deep and the bottom must be lined with greased baking parchment. Alternatively, you could bake the cake in two separate, shallower tins (also lined) and adjust the baking time accordingly.

No matter what pan you use, it’s important to let the cake cool thoroughly before attempting to remove it from the pan.

The cake will store for up to three days in an airtight container or cake plate with domed lid. You can wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to three months.

 

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