Venetian Apple Cake

An old one.. Adapted from Babbo

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup instant or fine polenta/rava
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apple
8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
juice from 1/2 lemon
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray, dust it with flour, and tap to knock out the excess.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, salt, and spices together and set aside.
Peel the apple and grate it, add some lemon juice to it and mix

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, olive oil, and sugar together on medium speed until and fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the honey until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl, followed by the vanilla extract.

On low speed, beat in half the dry ingredients, followed by all the milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the remaining dry ingredients. Mix at medium speed for 30 seconds to emulsify the batter.

With a spoon gently fold in the grated apple. Pour the batter into the pan and bake bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then invert it onto a rack or plate.

Garnish the top with a dusting of confectioners' sugar