Darshana Thacker Wendel
Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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Comments (41)
I wish you would include the nutritional analysis–carbs, protein, fat gms –with your recipes. Some people have diabetes and need to know the # of carb gms. Thanks.
Hi Rick,
Thank you for your feedback. We hear you, and we are currently working on adding nutritional information to all our recipes and anticipate for this feature to be live on the website by the end of the year. Please stay tuned for updates!
Warmly,
Courtney
Editor, Forks Over Knives
An excellent cake enjoyed by vegans. cherry topping compliments the cake.
Im sorry that my comment doesn’t relate to this particular recipe, but I don’t know where to post this question. I have noticed in some forks over knives recipes the use of aluminum/tin foil. My understanding is that tin foil is not a safe material to use in cooking. Why is it being used by FOK?
I think that foil is safe to use, if the food is not acidic. I would avoid using it with BBQ sauce or anything that has vinegar or citrus juice in it.
Is this recipe asking for cooked polenta or dry cornmeal?
Polenta is boiled cornmeal.
I wondered that too but I just used dry because the recipe indicated “dry.”
Please, how I instead use maple syrup?
with date paste?
Thanks.
Try making a stock syrup, steep it with some date puree, and pass through a fine chinois, or keep the maple in and do 50/50 apple sauce and date puree
Hope that helps
Delicious. I didn’t make the compote, but that didn’t stop me from eating half the cake in one evening. Not sweet at all, and very delicious
A nice way to use polenta, but I would make some changes. The tbs of cinnamon in the cherry compote overwhelms it, I would not use that much again. I would probably try to add a bit of salt. The cake came out moist, but a little tasteless. I have made the FoK Peach Upside Down Cake many times, which has not dissimilar ingredients, and it’s a huge hit. Not sure why this one seemed so lacking in flavor. Definitely one hour is overcooking it.
I make this without the cherry compote or any substitute. I find the cake so tasty that it barely lasts till the next day!
Can you use cornmeal in place of polenta?
I did. I think they’re basically the same. It came out fine
While fresh cherries taste wonderful, I loathe cooked cherry anything. Can you substitute mashed frozen stawberries, raspberries, or some other frozen fruit?
Amazing – such a good cake, thank you! This will become a regular
This cake is moist and delicious! Baked it 50 min. I substituted homemade pearsauce for the applesauce, mango for the cherries in the compote, (and left out cinnamon and anise). Substituted 1 t. ground bourbon vanilla beans for the liquid vanilla because it was all I had! Added 2 t. cinnamon and 1/2 t. cardamom to the cake, but might use slightly less cardamom next time though everyone loved it!
I plan to use the basis of the cake and change it up to create different cakes like adding lemon zest and juice to create a lemon cake, etc.
I just tried baking this tonight and I can’t wait for the results. Can you please provide the nutrition value?
It looks delicious! I want to trait asap! I love plant based recipes!
This looks really delicious, but I don’t see the nutrition value. Can you please provide? Do you recipes have the nutrition value?
I just made this and love it, will make it again when I’m ready for my occasional treat. My husband (pure epicurean foodie, not WFPB) even loved it.
I replaced the oat-and almond flour with brown rice flour and it turned out great! Never baked with polenta before, but this is one of my favourites now!
Has anyone tried making this in a cast iron skillet? Any tips for oven temperature or other changes?
Can I use pre-cooked polenta? If yes, measurements? Thanks.
Hi Julie. Step 6 says to invert.
Clark
This looks wonderful! The apple slices that show on the top – were these put there after pouring the mixture into the pan (recipe doesn’t say, but I like the look) or was the cake inverted after cooking and these are the ones from the bottom? Thank you!
Step 5 Pour batter over apples, spreading evenly
I’m supposed to avoid corn and corn products. Can this be made with flour (GF or regular) instead of polenta?
Any tips for making this the day before? Fridge over night then bake for 20 minutes or is there something crucial I should do?
Has anyone tried using another nut flour, instead of almonds, to make this cake?
I love this polenta cake and make it all the time. But I leave off the cherry sauce.
Me too Sandy, I don’t think it needs the cherry sauce. I really love this cake
I love this cake and make it all the time, but I leave off the cherry sauce.
Darshana you have done it again. This cake, although quite sweet, is delicious and extremely moist. The recipe made 10 ample sized slices. Serving it warm makes it like a winter pudding. A winner with the family.
Thank you
I used homemade applesauce and fresh cherries
This is delicious and not dry at all
Baked for 50 minutes instead of 60
I also made my own oat flour I. Food processor
Can you use Bob’s Red Mill corn meal or corn flour?
Just ok. Not as moist as I hoped it would be.
What is dry polenta? Cornmeal? Cannot make it unless I know the answer.
Yes. An example is Bob’s Red Mill yellow corn grits polenta