Thursday, August 30, 2012

THB : Sun-dried Tomato-Pistachio Polenta Cake

Time for some baking at The Home Bakers (THB). For our bake no. 8, Yvette form My Worldwide Culinary Adventure has chosen a savoury bake, Sun-dried Tomato-Pistachio Polenta Cake. I would like to extend my appreciation to Yvette, as she has been busy these few months and have not been blogging much, but she is so gracious as to have taken the time to join in and host this week's bake at THB! Thank you, Yvette!


I am a great fan of cornbreads. So I was looking forward to bake this version. Now this recipe calls for sun-dried tomatoes and I happen to have some in my fridge. My homemade sun-dried tomatoes was made many months ago and they keep really well stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I did not soak them in oil, as at that time I wanted to use it for something else, but well...it has been sitting in the fridge since then..!! haha!


My homemade Sun-Dried Tomatoes, errr......Oven-Dried Tomatoes  :o)
These are great as a snack too, tangy and sourish, yum!


I just need about 2 dried tomatoes for half a recipe, but I used 3. They are cut into julienned strips and soaked with 1-1/2 tablespoons of hot water for about 5 minutes or so, as required in the recipe.



I made half a recipe and baked in a 7" round cake pan. This savoury cake, or rather cornbread, uses honey, dried basil, dried oregano, cornmeal, olive oil, yoghurt, pistachios, sundried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. I use Cheddar cheese instead. While this bread is being baked, it smells incredibly delicious with the unmistaken smell of pizza! My son thought I was baking pizza! 


I scattered the top with more cheese and pistachios than the amount calls for. I baked for about 25 minutes, left it to cool for about 20 minutes and sliced a piece to try.


It was good!


It has the right level of moistness, I love the tangy taste of the sun-dried tomatoes, the nutty pistachios, and the wonderful aroma and taste of the herbs. The cornmeal contributes to the fine crumbly texture and gave a lovely golden colour to this savoury bread.





If you are not a fan of savoury bakes, then you might find that this is not your cup of tea! I am actually looking forward to all the other reviews from my fellow bakers, it would be interesting to see the others take on this savoury bake.


The next morning, I sliced the leftovers about 1/4-inch thickness, and toasted them for breakfast, with a cup of black coffee.


They are really delicious toasted, similar to eating a savoury biscotti, only a little more crispy soft, with a "herby-cheezy" fragrance. 



Please stop by Yvette from My Worldwide Culinary Adventures for the recipe and to see the rest of my fellow bakers'  bake on this cake, please visit The Home Bakers (THB).


Welcome to The Home Bakers



THB is currently baking from Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas, if you would like to join in and be a member of THB, please email me at kitchenflavours@yahoo.com
Everyone's welcome!!


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I will be away for just a few days, going for a short holiday with my family!!  Yipee!!! Will be back visiting you soon! 


Tea Leaves, Farm Fresh Veggies, Strawberries, Rose Jam,  it's all at Cameron Highlands!


21 comments:

  1. I haven't this type of combination looks wonderful

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  2. Your cake looks lovely and golden! Although I am not used to savoury bakes, I actually enjoyed this one, glad to have tried this out. Have a great holiday!

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  3. Hi Joyce,

    I thought that my family might be fussy with this cake but I was wrong... all were gone, nothing has been wasted :D

    Enjoy your holidays!

    Zoe

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  4. Your cake looks nice.
    M I the only one who didnt like the taste of this one? Everyone else is raving about it.
    Have fun on your holiday and take lots of clicks to share with us :D.

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  5. Looks delicious, I think I would enjoy this with a bowl of hot creamy soup, maybe I'll give this a try, I do have some tomatoes in oil, wonder if they are suitable?

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  6. Your cake looks nice. I think savoury cakes are not my cup of tea - I tried once and kinda blacklist savoury cakes! haha ...

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  7. Nice cake with sun dried tomato that I love to try one day. Thank you for sharing and enjoy your holiday :)

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  8. Fantastic and super irresistible cake.

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  9. Have a great time in the highlands!

    I enjoyed this cake! Thanks for the 'toasting' tip!

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  10. looks like this is a great cake! i'm now going to read everyone's review on the cake. enjoy your holidays!

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  11. YUM, I am with you. I love a good cornbread. Can't wait to try this one.

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  12. Love the golden color of your cake & with your own sun dried tomatoes sounds Fantastic! We LOVE savory cake coz over here in France is very common to bake savory cake especially during summer time. Glad that we've bake this delicious cake. Now I so wanted to try other savory cake recipe from this cookbook! LOL Enjoy your holiday & see you soon. :)

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  13. I am hungry all over again, looking at yours. This is delicious. I must make more savory cakes.

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  14. Love this polenta cake look really delicious and love the color too!

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  15. I cant live without savory cakes and this polenta based is perfect!

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  16. i'm baking it this weekend, Joyce
    we see how my family's response :)
    the last pic of your cake really looks like biscotti :)

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  17. Una mezcla perfecta luce muy sabrosa y hermosa me encanta la polenta,abrazos hugs,hugs.

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  18. You halved the ingredients yet able to bake a 7" savoury cake! This is really an interesting cake. Agree with Alice, the sliced cake reminds me of biscotti, hahaha! Have a nice break! I like Cameron Highlands than Genting Highlands!

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  19. Interesting combination that somehow works.

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  20. The cake must be amazing with pistachio and sundried tomatoes!
    Enjoy your break!

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  21. Your cake looks just like the one in the book :)
    I'm not a fan of savoury bakes either but I do LOVE sun dried tomatoes so I look forward to trying this out. A breakfast cake!!

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