Lemon polenta cake

To go with the fabulous risotto bolognese I made the other night, I had to have the perfect dessert. Ever since I won the Barilla pack from Not Quite Nigella a few months ago I have had a box of polenta sitting in my cupboard waiting for the perfect recipe. Nigella's lemon polenta cake fit the bill. It was scrumptious. The polenta gave it a different texture to what you'd expect from a flourless cake but it was a welcome addition.

There's a bit of a yellow theme in the ingredients for this cake.

Beat the butter and sugar together until it's pale and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine the almond meal, polenta and baking powder.

While mixing, add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter followed by one egg. Continue like this until everything is incorporated and then finally, add the lemon zest.

Spread the batter into the prepared tin. You will have to spread it out with a spatula as it's a very thick batter. Bake the cake for 40 minutes at 160C fan-forced.

When the cake is done, take it out of the oven but leave it in the tin on a wire rack. Now it's time to make the syrup. Combine the lemon juice and icing sugar in a small saucepan and heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.

Using a cake tester, poke lots of holes in the top of the cake.

Pour the warm syrup over the cake then leave the cake to cool in the tin.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Recipe

Lemon polenta cake

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Author: recipe from Nigella Lawson's 'Kitchen'

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Ingredients

• 200 g 7oz butter
• 200 g 7oz caster (superfine) sugar
• 200 g 7oz almond meal
• 100 g 3.5oz fine polenta
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• zest of two lemons save the juice for the syrup
• juice of two lemons
• 125 g 4.5oz icing sugar

Instructions

• Grease and line a round spring-form cake tin.
• Pre-heat the oven to 160C(320F) fan-forced.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy.
• Mix the almond meal, polenta and baking powder and beat some of this into the butter/sugar mixture, followed by one egg then alternate dry ingredients and eggs beating constantly.
• Finally, beat in the lemon zest and transfer the mixture to the cake tin and bake for about 40 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven but leave it in the tin on a wire rack.
• Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and icing sugar in a smallish saucepan. Once the sugar has melted it's ready.
• Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester and pour the warm syrup over the cake.
• Leave it to cool before removing it from its tin.

Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations