Polenta Olive Oil Cake with Blood Orange & Rosemary

Polenta and almond flour cake with blood orange, rosemary, and rosemary infused olive oil. Blanketed in a rosemary olive oil glacé and decorated with dried blood orange slices. Naturally gluten free.

My culinary school hosts a pop-up dinner every course, fully run by the student. As a part of the petit fours team for the spring edition, I was tasked with developing a bite-sized olive oil cake (I felt like I was the right woman for the job!) to finish off an elaborate meal inspired by spring. Because blood oranges are in their prime right now, it seemed only natural to want to base this cake on such a beautiful ingredient. Inspired also by the reactivity my rosemary-infused vanilla bean mousse caused, I felt giving rosemary another chance to shine was also called for.

Our head chef for this dinner, a fellow student and friend, is a polenta lover, so to honor her culinary opinions as our leader, it felt only right to feature one of her favorite ingredients. I’ve opted to use almond flour as well to make this petit four gluten free, as to accommodate any guests with allergies.

This recipe is very straightforward, using a ton of citrus zest and rosemary, as well as rosemary-infused olive oil. The flavors are balanced and not too sweet, which makes perfect room for the very sweet rosemary olive oil glaze (trust me).

I tested tiny versions of this cake for the pop-up with great success, and thought I would bring a taste of my culinary school endeavors to you as well! Here is my recipe for the full size version of one of the petit fours that will be served at the Student Pop Up Dinner at Ballymaloe Cookery School.