Olive Oil & Polenta Cake with Ricotta Mousse. Olive oil is the unexpected hero of this creamy dessert. Served in your favourite glassware it will make a stunning last course on any dinner party menu.
Serves 8
Polenta Cake
6 eggs
440 g sugar
160 ml Cobram Estate reserve hojiblanca oil (You can use the Premium Hojiblanca or the Cobram Estate Light)
Rind and juice of 4 lemons
2 teaspoons vanilla
380 g polenta
150 g flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Ricotta Mousse Ingredients
500 g ricotta
1 Vanilla bean seeds
55 g Egg whites
65 g Sugar
1 g Salt
220 g Crème fraîche
100 g Cream
2 Gelatine leaves
To make the polenta cake:
Preheat oven at 160°
Whisk eggs and sugar together, slowly adding in olive oil.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt.
Add dry and wet mixtures alternately with lemon juice
Bake at 160° for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown test with a skewer (if the skewer is clean the cake is cooked)
To make the mousse:
Blend the ricotta and vanilla bean with an electric mixer and once blended add the crème fraîche.
With a whisk, whisk the egg whites until a soft peak forms, then add the sugar and salt. Fold into the ricotta mixture.
In a saucepan warm the 100g of cream with the gelatine leaves. Once the gelatine has dissolved fold the cream into the main mixture.
Pour the mouse mixture into piping bags.
To assemble:
You can use any form of glass wear to serve this is in (We used wine tumblers). Whatever you decide to serve this dessert in, build it with four even layers of the cake and mousse alternately. You can dice the cake up, cut out rounds, whatever works for your mould. Garnish with extra reserve hojiblanca so it trickles down the layers of the dessert and smashed up caramel nuts or peanut brittle.