Polenta Date Cake

Last weekend my sweet baby turned ONE!!! I cannot believe how quickly this past year has gone. To honor my sweet Maize and her milestone birthday I created a nourishing, baby friendly cake that is not only delicious, but full of ingredients I feel good about giving my sweet girl. And because we named her Maize after one of our favorite crops to grow I wanted to incorporate corn in some way. Enter this polenta date cake! The texture is AMAZING and this tasted great with a little unsweetened whipped cream on top (feel free to add a little maple syrup to your whipped cream—we kept is simple with a homemade plain cream). The cake itself is sweetened with dates and is simple and so delicious I can’t believe how much we all loved this. I’ll definitely be making this again and I must say, because it wasn’t that sweet it tasted really wonderful for breakfast alongside my cup of coffee the remainder of the week.

My sweet Maize loved her cake and I am over here pinching myself that I have been this girl’s mama for a full year. She is simply the best and I am so gosh darn lucky.

If you are looking for a sweet treat that isn’t full of processed sugar or processed flours look no further! This polenta cake is a great addition to your baking repertoire.

Polenta Date Cake

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES    COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES    SERVES: 16 slices

• 3/4 cup packed dates (about 8 large dates)

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 cup stone ground cornmeal (sprouted if possible)

• 3/4 cup sprouted spelt flour (see note)

• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 2 large eggs

• 2 egg whites

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Unsweetened Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8X8 baking dish with parchment paper or grease it with coconut oil or ghee.

2. Soak the dates in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes to really soften them up.

3. Meanwhile add the cornmeal, spelt flour, baking soda and salt to a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Keep to the side.

4. Add the soaked dates to a high speed blender or food processor along with 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. Blend until a smooth paste forms (adding a touch more liquid if needed).

5. Add the eggs and egg whites to the dates and mix/pulse until well combined. Add the olive oil, butter, yogurt, lemon zest and juice and pulse/mix a few times until well incorporated.

6. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.

7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out almost clean.

8. Prepare the whipped cream by whisking the heavy cream, vanilla and cinnamon in the chilled bowl of an electric mixer or immersion blender bowl. Beat/whisk until soft peaks form.

9. Serve the polenta cake with the whipped cream and fresh berries and enjoy!

Notes- You can substitute the sprouted spelt flour with all-purpose flour in a pinch. Store cake at room temperature for 2 days and then transfer to the refrigerator.