Apple Ring Cake with a Touch of Polenta #FoodieReads

I am sharing this after reading Murder in the Tuscan Hills by T A Williams, the tenth in the Armstrong and Oscar Mysteries series. I shared my thoughts on the first six books in Pizza ai Frutti di Mare; after reading the seventh book, I posted Pigato, a New to Me Wine Variety.

On the Page

I guess I haven't shared any recipes inspired by books eight and nine, but here we are on book ten. I will circle back! As in the rest of the Armstrong and Oscar books, Dan and his canine sidekick find themselves involved in a murder investigation...this time in the Tuscan Hills. Dan is often brought in to help the local carbinieri when English speakers need to be interviewed as part of the case. This time, however, he comes face to face with a former rockstar who owns a local winery and, more importantly, his former wife! That causes a little bit of friction between Dan and Anna, his live-in girlfriend. There is also a suspicion that the case is related to the Mafia. But like all cozies, all's well that end's well...at least until the next murder. I can't wait till book eleven - Murder at the Ponte Vecchio - comes out the day after my birthday. Happy birthday to me!

On the Plate

As with any book set in Italy, there is plenty of deliciousness on the pages.

"'As it’s so hot tonight, I’m not doing hot food. How does a mixed salad with a few slices of ham and some more of the finocchiona sound?'" I don't get my hands on finocchiona very often, but now I am craving it!

"...we all chose the same thing: mixed antipasti followed by pappardelle al cinghiale. Wild boar season was well and truly open and the owner told us her husband had shot the unfortunate beast that ended up in our pasta sauce only a matter of metres from the restaurant." That is one of the greatest joys of a year in Italy: wild boar season.

"We followed the antipasti with crespelle al tartufo. Since settling in Tuscany, I’d developed a real taste for these savoury pancakes folded and filled with cheese. The flakes of white truffles gave a whole new dimension to the experience and I added this to my ever-expanding list of the best dishes I’d ever eaten."

But the passage that inspired me into the kitchen was this one...

Auntie Linda – who told me her proper name was Linda Ducci – set two small cups on the table and produced a large, ring-shaped cake. This, she told me, was an apple cake made with the addition of polenta flour.

I figured that ring-shaped meant a bundt. So I made a spiced apple cake with a dash of polenta flour in a bundt pan.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar

• 1 organic apple, cored and thinly sliced

• 2 cups flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour)

• 1/2 cup polenta flour (fine cornmeal)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used a birch smoked salt)

• 1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed

• 1 cup cooked apples, mashed

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil)

• 2/3 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Also needed: bundt pan, butter, organic powdered sugar

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the inside of the bundt pan generously with butter and set aside. Toss the apple slices with 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar. Arrange the apple slices in the bottom of the bundt pan.

Place sweet potatoes, apples, eggs, oil, sugar, milk, vanilla, and spices in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a hand blender to beat into a smooth batter. Add in the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until ingredients are just moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan lined with apple slices. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes - until the cake is well-risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in the the pan for 5 minutes. Then invert the bundt onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

Serve with a dusting of organic powdered sugar for serving.

I am adding this to the February 2025 #FoodieReads Link-Up.