Peach Polenta Cake

King Restaurant became one of my go-to spots from the day it opened.  I read the NYTimes article singing their well-deserved praises paired with the Peach Polenta Cake they have been serving up this summer.  Of course, I had to make it  It is delicious and now I will make it again and again.

2 1/4 cups sugar

2 sticks plus 6 tbsps unsalted butter at room temperature

8 pitted, peeled and halved peaches (or you could do nectarines, plums or a mixture)

1 1/2 cups slivered almonds

1 cup polenta (I went with a coarser grind)

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking powder

zest of 1 lemon

4 eggs, room temperature

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Butter the bottom of a 9″ cake pan and line with parchment paper.  Cut a long strip of parchment paper that will circle the cake pan, 3 inches in height, with no gap to line the inside of the pan.  This is a key component.

Place 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan and just cover with water and place over medium heat.  Stir continually until this turns in to a maple syrup color.  Then take it off the heat and stir in 2 tbsp of butter until fully melted.  Pour this into the bottom of the cake pan.  Place the peaches flesh side down in a singular layer over the caramel, and add in a few cut up pieces so everything is tight.

Put the almonds and polenta in a food processor and process until fine, set aside.  Mix together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in a medium-sized bowl and add the almond polenta mixture.  In the same food processor cream the remaining butter and sugar adding the eggs in one at a time.  Really let this get smooth.  Scrape the butter and egg mixture into the flour bowl and fold into each other until smooth.  Pour this batter over the fruits in the cake pan.  Bake for 2 hours or until the top is golden, colored and firm to the touch.

When the cake cools completely, loosen up the sides and flip over onto a plate.  Gently peel away all the parchment paper.  Serve with either ice cream or creme fraiche.  Either way, you can’t go wrong.