Lemon Polenta Cake

Cooking without wheat is presenting me some challenges, some of which are difficult, and some of which are very enjoyable. One of the benefits of this way of eating (I don't like to use the word 'diet', because that makes me want to break it!) is that I get to explore other grains. I find foods that I wouldn't have found otherwise.

When wheat or bread is not the focus of a meal, vegetables and beans rice and quinoa and corn have a chance to come to the front. We've been exploring winter vegetables, roasting and pureeing them with some good results, but nothing post-able yet. But it's a lot of fun for us! And we're eating veryvery well.

One problem, though, for me is that there are a few baked goods that I reallyreally love. One of them is almond shortbread cookies. Or Nigel's lemon cake. What I'm doing about these is trying to find substitutes for the wheat flour and re-creating what I love. Re-creating the almond cookies resulted in these lovelies, which I think I like more than the original.

The lemon cake presented a little more of a challenge. Its intense lemon flavor and wonderful, open texture are the things I love. I've fiddled around trying to figure it out. Then I stumbled on this recipe, which didn't need any fiddling AT ALL! It's already got what I want. Well, of course I changed it a little bit. I always do, don't you?

The result was a cake with the open texture I love, intense lemon flavor, and a color like sunshine. It's perfect with a cup of tea. Or coffee. Or cafe au lait. Actually, it's perfect just with a fork. Or fingers.

Lemon Polenta Cake
adapted from the River Cafe Cookbook

1 ¼ c / 100 g polenta
2 cups / 200 g ground almonds
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 ¾ sticks / 200 g softened butter
1 cup / 200 g sugar
3 eggs
zest of 2 lemons

For the syrup:
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup / 125 g powdered sugar

• Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F
• Prepare a round cake pan with parchment paper in the bottom and butter on the sides.
• Mix the polenta, almonds and baking powder well.
• In another bowl, cream the sugar and the butter till light and fluffy.
• Add about ¼ of the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well. Add an egg. Mix well.  Add another ¼ of the dry ingredients, then another egg, mixing well after each addition. Then another ¼ of the dry stuff, then the last egg, then the rest of the dry stuff. Don't forget to mix well!
• Add the lemon zest and (guess what?) mix well.
• Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until a broom straw inserted in the center comes out clean. You can use a toothpick if you've forgotten where you parked your broom.
• While the cake is baking, mix the lemon juice and powdered sugar to make a syrup.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, use the same straw you used to test for done-ness to poke lots of holes in the cake. Pour the syrup into the holes and let it soak in.

Enough for 8


NOTES:

• It's important to use real polenta for this, not the instant kind. The instant kind will absorb all the liquid and start to become mush before its' baked. Ew.
• The sugar should be a scant cup. You might take a couple of tablespoons of sugar out of a full cup. It's better to weigh it. You really should get a kitchen scale, you know. Christmas is coming...
• A springform pan works well for this. It's too heavy for a loaf pan, I think.
• This cake is great with raspberry syrup. Or vanilla ice cream. Or both.
• I sprinkled powdered sugar over the cake when it was cool to hide the holes from the straw.