Spring is officially eighteen days away, but it seems to have arrived early in Seattle this year. I have been busy trying to banish all the weeds from our garden (by hand!), and have started to get the raised beds ready for planting. Our little garden is a lot of work, but I love every moment of it. After all that time battling moss and weeds, it’s always rewarding to have a hot cup of tea and a slice of cake. This lemon cake is a real treat. It contains polenta and ground almonds which give it a delicious nutty texture. It’s also happens to be flourless, which is perfect if you are gluten-free. What I love about this cake is that you can really taste that zesty lemon flavor. It’s a relatively easy cake to cook, and there is something about that magical combination of lemon, eggs, butter and almonds that creates the most divine smell in your kitchen. It is wonderful served just warmed from the oven with a spoon of yogurt or crème fraiche.
I made this cake originally for my gluten-free cookbook, and it’s still one of my favorites. As the cake contains nuts, it’s very moist and will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- 230g softened butter
- 250g white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 250g almond flour
- Zest of two lemons, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 125g polenta
Method
- Grease a 10 inch (25cm) round cake tin with butter, then line the bottom of the tin with a circle of parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F.
- Cream the butter and the sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and beat well.
- Begin to incorporate the ground almonds, beating well all the time.
- Next, add the lemon zest, juice, baking powder and polenta.
- Beat together until all combined.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and cook for 40 – 50 minutes.
- Test with a toothpick / sharp knife to see if it is cooked. If the toothpick comes out clean then the cake is cooked. It should also be golden on top and the edges will have shrunk slightly away from the side of the tin.
- Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool, and then invert the cake onto a cooling rack.
- Garnish with some fresh lemon slices, orange zest, and a dusting of icing sugar.
- Serve with some crème fraiche or Greek yogurt.
