Gluten Free Polenta Cake

I’m guessing you’re probably thinking that polenta is supposed to be served as a side dish and not as a dessert.  Well, I’m here to tell you that in can actually be both.  The Italians have been making both polenta and polenta cake forever and I think they’ve mastered it ... or it could be that I’m Italian, so I’m biased! In this recipe, mix together Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornmeal and Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and get ready to share with your friends and family. This cake is mean for making memories! Because of the simplicity of the ingredients, polenta is easy to make and always delicious. To make polenta you cook together some sort of stock or liquid with cornmeal until all the liquid is absorbed and the cornmeal has softened. Typically it's served up as a main entrée or with things like chicken or steak but today we're taking it to the sweet side. This Gluten Free Polenta Cake is also an easy recipe but obviously it has some extra sweetness compared to the side dish.  If I were to describe it simply, polenta cake is like a moist and sweetened cornbread. You start making a polenta cake by creaming together butter and sugar and then in a separate bowl mixing together all of your dry ingredients.  To make this recipe gluten free I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornmeal and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour which allows you to take any regular gluten recipe and sub out the flour 1 for 1 without skipping a beat.  My mother-in-law is gluten free so any chance I get to make a gluten free version of one of my favorite cakes without compromising on flavor is a huge win.  I mean come on, who doesn’t want to impress the in-laws right? Like any simple cake recipe, you combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and then you bake it!  I decided to cook this polenta cake in a deep 8” prepared cake pan, but you could spread this out on a sheet tray, or use it in a wider spring form pan, it’s totally up to you. While the polenta cake is baking this is great time to make the buttercream.  You’ll notice when you take a bite of this cake that it is perfectly balanced.  It’s not overly savory and it’s not overly sweet and I think that's because of the buttercream.  The buttercream is whipped with powdered sugar and maple syrup for an unbelievable flavor that perfectly complements the polenta cake. To finish this cake off, spread on the buttercream and top it off with fresh berries!  DELICIOUS!

Gluten Free Polenta Cake

For the Polenta Cake

• 2/3 cup of softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 2 c ups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Medium Grind Cornmeal
• ½ tablespoon of baking soda
• ½ tablespoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup of whole milk

For the Buttecream

• 3 sticks of softened unsalted butter
• ½ cup of powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 cups of assorted fresh berries.

Yield: 1 8" cake Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 40-45 minutes Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Polenta Cake: Add the butter and sugar to a standing mixer with the paddle attachment and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. While the butter and sugar are creaming, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a wooden spoon and set aside.
4. Add 1 egg at a time to the creamed butter and sugar bowl over low speed until they are combined.
5. Pour in the milk and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until mixed together.
6. Transfer the batter to a prepared deep 8” pan and bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven and let the cake completely cool on a rack to room temperature.
8. Buttercream: Add the softened butter to a clean stand mixer with the paddle attachment and whip on high speed until it becomes light and fluffy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
9. Add in the powdered sugar and maple syrup and mix until completely combined.
10. Once the cake has cooled add the buttercream to the top and spread around so that the top is covered.
11. Add fresh berries to the top, grab your designated cake tester, and serve this beautiful cake gluten-free friends can enjoy.

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover! 

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!