The wonderful world of polenta!

A garden centre near to us does the most delicious lemon cake made with polenta and everytime we go there, Mum and I always say "We must try and make one of these!" so I have finally got round to trying out a lemon polenta cake. I have never cooked anything sweet with polenta before but when Nigella's recipe popped up on facebook, I knew I had to try it. I expect polenta is popular to cook with in cakes amongst those who are gluten free and I although no one in my family is gluten free I will definitely be making this cake again. 

Here is a link to Nigella's original recipe:

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/LEMON-POLENTA-CAKE-5308

I made this cake as an 'all in one mix' as I have a Kitchenaid, but if you are working by hand or with hand mixer I would probably follow Nigella's recipe more carefully.

Lemon Polenta Cake

Cake:

200g/8oz butter/Stork,

200g/8oz castor sugar,

200g/8oz ground almonds,

100g/4oz fine polenta,

1 1/2 tsp baking powder (make sure this is gluten free if baking for a gluten free friend),

3 large eggs,

Zest of 2 lemons,

Syrup:

Juice of 2 lemons,

125g/5oz icing sugar.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

2. Grease and line a 23cm loose bottom/spring bottom tin, this cake is too tall for a 'normal' cake tin.

3. Mix together all of the cake ingredients until thoroughly combined. Spoon into the tin. I found it had quite a shiny look to it and much grainier than 'normal' cake mix.

4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown on top. The middle will be wobbly still and when you put a cake tester in it won't come out completely clean, but will have a few cakey bits on it. The edges of the cake should have started to come away from the edge of the tin. Put on a wire rack still in the tin.

5. In a small saucepan combine the lemon juice and icing sugar. Heat gently until the icing sugar has dissolved.

6.Put a baking tray until the wire rack to save you scrubbing sugary stick off your worktop. Prick the cake all over with a cocktail stick and then pour the syrup on top. Leave to soak in and until the cake is completely cool.

7. When it is cold, remove from the tin and enjoy!

 This cake has a very different texture to a sponge cake and is grainy and squidgy but utterly delicious.

Let me know how you get on cooking with polenta if it's your first time too!

xxx