Gluten Free Lemon Polenta Cake

I don’t think we have featured any gluten free recipes on our blog yet, so this is a first, with this gluten free lemon polenta cake.

I hadn’t really played around with gluten free recipes or polenta recipes specifically before, this was a nice change and I like to think without wheat, I would be *almost* justified in classing it as a “healthier” cake choice…. although with that much sugar and butter in it I probably wouldn’t get away with that!

But anyway I digress.

This came out great – it was light, moist, fluffy and had a strong lemon flavour. I think citrus in general goes well with this one so even an orange or lime version would be delicious.

How To Make Gluten Free Lemon Polenta Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

• 150g melted unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 whole medium eggs
• 75g ground almonds
• 75g polenta
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons

For the frosting

• 100g icing sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

For decorating

• Zest of 1 lemon

Gluten Free Lemon Polenta Cake Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C (Fan assisted 155-160°C)
2. Beat together 150g butter with 150g caster sugar until it is fully blended and pale
3. Add in 3 eggs and continue to beat until fully combined
4. Stir in your ground almonds and the rind and juice from two lemons
5. Fold in the polenta and baking powder gently stir the whole mixture until fully combined
6. Pour into a greased 8 inch (20cm) round cake tin and bake on the middle shelf for 40-45 minutes
7. Once fully baked, leave it in the tin to cool to room temperature
8. To make the icing, combine 100g icing sugar with the juice of one lemon, a few drops at a time. If you add too much liquid too quickly, it may end up a bit lumpy or too watery.
9. Drizzle your icing over your cooled cake
10. Sprinkle over the extra lemon rind and enjoy

Need The Ingredients?

If you’re in the UK:

• Biona Organic Polenta. This is the one we used and it was extremely easy to work with. It wasn’t too coarse, which helped the overall cake texture and it is organic, so that is an extra bonus. Click here to buy
• RealFoodSource Blanched Ground Almonds. These are what we used again, and having been using RealFoodSource products for a while, I am very happy to recommend them. The almonds come in a firm resealable bag which helps keep them fresher for longer, which is always useful, and they’re not clumpy at all! Click here to buy

If you’re in the USA:

• Fondo Di Toscana Polenta. Based on what I could find, this is the only one that seemed to match the texture and price of the UK one I recommend. Click here to buy
• King Arthur Almond Flour. Smooth, not clumpy, reliable and great value for money. It has to be King Arthur Almond Flour. If it was available in the UK I would probably get it here as well. Click here to buy.