Tortino di Polenta con Fragole - Polenta cupcakes with strawberries and rum sauce.

Chef Guido's polenta cakes with strawberries (and cream rum sauce)

There was a time In Italy when wheat flour was scarce and expensive for many. This was certainly true during the Renaissance, but also during the 19th century and again during WW2. Since the discovery of the Americas a new, cheaper ingredient was available: maize flour (or corn meal, or polenta flour). A little wheat flour could be added to polenta flour and this would make the softest, most delicious bread. Adding a little sugar and raisins would produce a cake that was simply irresistible.
With strawberries and a rum sauce, this 'poor cuisine' classic from Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria can today become a refined, well presented and well balanced dessert.

Another use for polenta cakes: Locally, in the Sabine Hills, the bakers used to use these polenta cakes to test the wood fire oven temperature. If the polenta cakes cooked evenly, the oven was ready to put in the homemade bread.

Local Sabine Hills recipe: 

Tortino di polenta con fragole (with Guido's rum sauce). Serves 6

Ingredients: 200g (7.0 oz) of maize flour** (corn meal), 160 g (5.6 oz) of butter, 125g (4.4 oz) of sugar, 70g (2.4 oz) of wheat flour, 2 eggs, 80g (2.8 oz) of raisins, 150ml (0.6 cups) of single cream, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, a shot of rum.

Method: Melt butter on low heat, then put aside. For the cakes: Mix eggs with half the sugar, add maize flour first, then wheat flour with baking powder, add melted butter and raisins. Mix well. Distribute mixture into a muffin tray for 12 muffins. Bake at 170 C (338 F) for 15 minutes.

For the sauce: Pour cream into a small pot. Add the remaining sugar and a shot of rum. Stir and bring cream to boil for 2 minutes, then turn off heat.

Serve cakes warm with sauce at the bottom of the plate and strawberries* on the side.

*You can use blueberries or any other berry in substitute, if you wish.

** Maize flour (corn meal) - use the fine corn meal, not the course one.

Sally and Chef Guido
Founders of Convivio Rome Italian Cooking Holidays, Italian Cooking Classes and Olive Tours and Winery Tours. Owners of Convivio Rome BnB.

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