Spring time Lemon Polenta Cake.

I have finally got round to doing another baking post. I wanted to bake something a little different to the cakes and brownies I usually go for, something a bit lighter, sunny, and more Spring like. I had a look through a few of my cook books but nothing really stuck out until I found this recipe for Lemon Polenta cake in my new Nigella Lawson book.

 I've never used Polenta before, and I liked the idea of a gluten free cake that looked like it wouldn't taste of cardboard. As it turns out the Polenta was really easy to use and I didn't realise how versatile it is (I'm definitely going to try shallow frying it and then coating it in Cinnamon sugar). The cake was really moist (Yuk, I hate that word) and tasted pretty good. I think it's going to be excellent with a bit of Greek yogurt and some honey.
Anyway... here is the recipe.

You Will Need:


200g Caster Sugar
200g Softened unsalted butter
200g Ground Almonds
100g Fine Polenta
1.5tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
Zest of 2 Lemons (the juice is used in the syrup later)

For the Syrup
125g Icing Sugar
Juice from the 2 lemons

The Cooking Bit:

* Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, then grease the sides and line the bottom of a 23cm spring form cake tin.
*Cream together the butter and the caster sugar ( I used an electric mixer as I am lazy) until pale.
*Mix the ground Almonds, Polenta, and baking powder together in another bowl, then add a little to the sugar/butter mixture and beat in.
*Add one of the eggs to the mix and beat, then a more of the Polenta mix, alternate adding eggs then Polenta while continuing to beat until it's all mixed together.
*Now add the lemon zest and give it a good mix up.
*Pour the mixture into the pre-prepared cake tin and pop into the oven for about 40 minutes. I checked mine after 30 and it was done.
*Remove from the oven, it looks a bit strange and uncooked but if you stick in a cake tester and it comes out clean it's done.

*Next make the syrup.
*Pop the lemon juice into a small pan with the icing sugar and bring to the boil.
*Once it's boiled wait until all the icing sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear before taking it off the heat.
*Pour it over the cake (which is still in the tin by the way) and leave it to cool down before taking it out of the tin.
*(I didn't use all my syrup, it seemed like a lot so I used about half which turned out fine)
*Go and sit outside in the (mildly warm) sunshine and eat up.

Maybe I will have a go at something savoury next time...