A gluten-free spiced apple cake, delicious and easy to make, with a simple option to make it dairy free.
This lightly spiced Italian apple polenta cake is a delicious way to enjoy autumn apples.
Made with apples, cinnamon, honey and lemon, it has a slightly dense, moist crumb with a crunchy crust, covered in a marmalade glaze.
The combination of apples and spice make this a perfect autumn/winter dessert, ideal for the holidays! We love it served warm with coffee, for breakfast, or as a snack.
Like many Italian desserts its not overly sweet, and the fresh flavours are the main feature of the cake.
It is a great make-ahead cake as the flavours improve with resting, and it tastes even better the next day.
This cake is gluten free and can be made dairy free by leaving out the crème fraîche topping and instead dust with powder sugar.
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The ingredients
This cake is gluten-free, made with a mixture of almond and polenta flours.
Coarsely ground polenta (cornmeal) works best for this cake as it gives a wonderful texture with a slightly dense yet moist crumb, and a satisfying bite.
Polenta can be gritty and dense so we use a mild to medium olive oil for a moist and tender crumb that won’t dry out quickly. The fruity and peppery notes of the olive oil pair beautifully with the apples.
This cake does not contain butter or milk, to make it dairy-free, skip the crème fraîche topping and add a dusting of powdered (icing) sugar instead.
Good to know
Cakes made with olive oil remain fresh and stay soft for longer than those made with butter which solidifies at room temperature.
Iron skillet vs springform pan
You could use either an iron skillet or a springform pan but a cast iron skillet has its advantages:
- polenta batter is heavier than a flour based batter, using a skillet is more secure than a springform pan which has a removable base.
- an iron skillet will retain and distribute heat evenly so the cake cooks evenly throughout.
Caution
If you are using a springform pan, make sure the bottom is securely fastened as the batter is a little heavy and could drop out the bottom.
I use a 10 inch (25 cm) skillet so the cake comes out thinner (cake height seen in photo above). Use a smaller skillet (8 inch/20 cm) for a taller cake.
A springform pan may require a slightly longer baking time, closer to 50 minutes. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean when its done.
Helpful tips
- Select any type of firm apples suitable for cooking such as Braeburn, Gala, Granny Smiths, Golden Delicious, Crispin, Honeycrisp, etc.
- Cut the apples into small bite-sized pieces and combine with ground cinnamon before adding to the batter. This way the apples will be nicely flavoured, rather than adding them as separate ingredients to the batter.
- Line the skillet/pan with parchment paper as the cake will stick to the bottom.
- The batter is moist and heavy so take care if using a springform pan.
🍴 Serving
Serve this cake slightly warm with a spoonful of honey vanilla crème fraîche and some crushed honey roasted pecans, the flavours go together very well and the crushed nuts add wonderful texture.
Garnish the slices of cake as you serve it, to make wrapping and storing the cake easier.
This cake can be made several hours in advance and warmed up before serving.
Storing leftovers
Allow the cake to cool before storing.
Place the cake in an airtight container and store in a cool, dry part of the kitchen for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Apple polenta cake can be frozen, wrap it in several layers of plastic and freeze for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.
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Recipe
Apple Polenta Cake
Ingredients
- apples - cored, peeled and cut into small bite-size pieces 2
- almond flour - 1 cup 100 g
- polenta flour - ⅔ cup, coarsely ground 100 g
- baking powder 2 teaspoons
- olive oil - ¼ cup, mild to medium olive oil 50 g
- eggs - beaten 3
- sugar - ½ cup 100 g
- honey - ¼ cup, runny 85 g
- vanilla 1 teaspoon
- zest of 1 lemon
- cinnamon ½ teaspoon
- salt ¼ teaspoon
- honey vanilla crème fraîche - ¼ cup, as topping (optional) 60 g
- honey glazed pecans - ½ cup, chopped 65 g
For the glaze
- marmalade 2 tablespoons
- water 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Combine the chopped 2 apples with ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, blend 3 eggs with 100 g sugar till fully combined, then mix in 50 g olive oil pouring slowly, till fully blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, zest of 1 lemon and 85 g honey and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together 100 g almond flour and 100 g polenta flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix well till it is smooth and lump free.
- Stir in the chopped apples and pour into a lined 22 cm/9 inch iron skillet or springform pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes*, till a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow to cool, then gently remove the springform pan and peel off the parchment paper.
Glaze
- In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons marmalade with 1 tablespoon water on medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer till it has thickened and become syrupy. Remove from the heat and brush the syrup over the cake.
- Once the glaze has dried, serve with a spoonful of 60 g honey vanilla crème fraîche and some chopped 65 g honey glazed pecans.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically per serving and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
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Uschi says
Loved this cake! Had no honey, so used sugar instead. Was yummy!
Making for second time now with honey and look forward to tasting the difference. Added a few dark chocolate chips….