lemon and polenta cake

i had a couple of eggs that needed using up and fancied something a treat. a friend had been raving about this lemon and polenta cake and despite not having enough eggs to make the full recipe (i made a 2/3 version) i decided to give it a go.

i wasn’t sure about it to begin with – i think my lack of patience (greediness), which meant i cut it while it was still warm which resulted in it crumbling, put me off. however, once it cooled it sliced beautifully and the flavours and texture actually improved with time - in future i think i’d try and make this the day before serving (it’s a lovely moist cake so you don’t need to worry about it drying out).

xanthe clay’s lemon and polenta cake (serves 8)

175g unsalted butter, softened

225g caster sugar

200g ground almonds

3 large eggs

zest of 4 whole lemons and juice of 1

115g polenta

1 teaspoon of baking powder

pinch of salt

preheat the oven to 160c. line a 20cm tin with baking parchment. put all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz to a smooth batter. spoon into the lined tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the centre comes out with no uncooked batter on it. cool in the tin.