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Pinza Veneta - Sweet Cornmeal Cake from Venice, Italy (Vegan)

Hearty cake with polenta, raisins soaked in grappa, pine nuts, fennel seeds, orange juice, and dried figs and dates. These additions vary depending on the regional tastes and history.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings: 1 sheet cake
Course: Dessert, dolce
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 150 grams polenta flour (1 cup)
  • 300 grams almond milk (1 ½ cups)
  • 1 cup water
  • 110 grams sugar (¾ cup)
  • 1 Juice of one orange (½ cup)
  • zest of one orange
  • 200 grams raisins
  • ½ cup grappa or sweet white wine
  • 1 pkg Paneangeli Lieveto (or 2 tsp. baking powder) put a photo in instructions
  • 5 dates, chopped
  • 5 dried figs, chopped
  • ¼ cup Italian pine nuts
  • 2 Tbsp fennel seeds, toasted
  • ½ cup sunflower oil (or any neutral oil)
  • 300 grams all-purpose flour

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 360 °F
  2. Put toasted fennel seeds and raisins in a bowl and add the grappa. Set aside to soften and flavor the fennel seeds and raisins.
  3. In a medium pot over the stove, bring the almond milk and 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the polenta a bit at a time and whisk it in. Turn down the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from heat and pour cooked polenta into a large bowl to cool.
  4. To the cooked polenta, add the sugar, orange juice, and zest. Stir to combine. Then stir in the baking soda or (Paneangeli Lievito)
  5. Stir in the raisins, fennel with the grappa. Add dates, figs, pine nuts and oil. Mix well.
  6. Adding one half at a time, stir in the all-purpose flour, careful not to overmix. The batter should be fairly stiff - thicker than pancake batter, but not as stiff as bread dough.
  7. Smooth batter into a parchment-lined 9" x 11" baking dish.
  8. Bake for 60 minutes or until golden brown and pulling away at the edges.
  9. Cool for 30 minutes before serving. This cake will keep in the fridge for up to one week. Pinza Veneta is best reheated a bit after taken from the fridge.
    Buon appetito!

Notes

Paneangeli (bread of the angels) is an Italian brand of baking soda and has a subtle vanilla flavor. I always have this product on hand for that authentic Italian taste. Feel free to use regular baking soda as a perfect substitute.