Fig Pistachio & Polenta Cake + Pomegranate Syrup & Rose Labneh Frosting {gluten-free}
A gluten-free pistachio polenta cake, soaked in spiced pomegranate syrup, smothered in rose labneh frosting and adorned with fresh figs.
Ingredients
Pistachio Polenta Cake
- 60g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g brown sugar
- 60g Greek yoghurt
- 60g almond meal
- 60g shelled, roasted, unsalted pistachios
- 100g polenta
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp cardamom
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- 30ml (1/4 cup) pomegranate juice
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Pomegranate Syrup
- 125ml (1/2 cup) pomegranate juice
- 110g caster sugar
- 6 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Rose Labneh Frosting
- 440g Greek yoghurt
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 1-2 tsp rosewater
To Serve
- 4-5 fresh figs, washed and sliced into quarters
- Handful roasted slivered almonds and sliced pistachios
Instructions
Pistachio Polenta Cake
- Preheat oven to 175°C (155°C fan-forced) and grease or line one 15cm (6”) cake tin with greaseproof paper.
- Place pistachios on a small tray and roast for 5-7 minutes until fragrant, taking care not to burn. Allow to cool, then finely process to a pistachio meal.
- Beat butter and sugar in a free-standing mixer with paddle attachment until light and fluffy, then add yoghurt and beat further to combine.
- Place pistachio meal, almond meal, polenta, baking powder and ground spices in a bowl and mix together.
- Add dry ingredients to creamed butter, yoghurt and sugar in two batches, alternating with the pomegranate juice.
- Add eggs one by one, scraping the bowl down between each addition.
- Pour batter into prepared cake tin, smoothing the surface.
- Bake cake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Using a very thin skewer, place 12-15 holes in the cake, then spoon over with hot syrup. Allow to cool completely in cake tin.
Pomegranate Syrup
- Dissolve sugar in juice in a small saucepan over low-medium heat.
- Crack the cardamom pods and place them in the saucepan along with the cloves and cinnamon.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat, then spoon two-thirds of the hot syrup over the hot cake, reserving the remainder for drizzling prior to serving.
Rose Labneh Frosting
- Assemble a sieve over a large bowl, then place a cheesecloth or fine muslin over sieve.
- Place yoghurt on cheesecloth, sprinkle with salt then gently twist the cheesecloth around the yoghurt to form a ball.
- Allow yoghurt to sit for 24-36 hours in the fridge. This will strain the yoghurt, removing the excess water and turning it into labneh, with a consistency slightly softer than cream cheese.
- When ready to make labneh into frosting – whisk icing sugar, vanilla and rosewater to taste into the labneh.
To Serve
- This cake is best assembled just prior to serving, given the fresh figs, the syrup and high dairy content of the frosting. If needed, it can be assembled up to a couple of hours prior to serving, then refrigerated and removed 30 minutes or so prior to serving to allow the cake to come to room temperature.
- To serve, place cake on serving dish and drizzle with remaining syrup, then top with rose labneh frosting.
- Decorate with fresh fig slices and sprinkle with pistachios and almonds.
Enjoy!
Notes
Makes one 15cm (6”) cake and serves 6-8
Recipe by The Polka Dotter at http://thepolkadotter.com/fig-pistachio-polenta-cake-pomegranate-syrup-rose-labneh-frosting-gluten-free/