Lemon, Polenta and Almond Cake with Blueberries and Vanilla Mascarpone
A classic rich lemony cake topped with creamy vanilla mascarpone and a sweet blueberry compote
I am not usually a big cake fan, but I really love this recipe. It’s made with ground almonds and polenta so it has a dense (but in a good way!) texture, whilst still having a nice soft crumb. And of course this means that this cakes just happens to be gluten free – a winner as so many people avoid gluten these days.
This recipe is based on Nigella Lawson’s lemon polenta cake, which is divine. However I am not a fan of syrups on cakes, personally I find they end up too sweet and I just don’t like that sugar flavor. So I omit the syrup from her recipe, add some vanilla and almond essence and top it with some mascarpone and a blueberry compote. And its yum!
I also add more lemon zest to make it extra lemony as I think lemon goes so beautifully with blueberries and vanilla. I love the addition mascarpone to this cake, which is not surprising considering how much I love mascarpone. The slightly sour note and thick consistency of the mascarpone is in perfect contrast to the course texture of the polenta. Add sweet juicy blueberries into the mix and it’s a winning combination.
It is the right time of the year here in Australia for blueberries. Their season always feels too short, but right now they are abundant and delicious - to the great joy of my children. Fig and Scout love this blueberry compote and they often have it on porridge for breakfast. I also like to make a batch of fluffy lemon buttermilk pancakes and top with both the mascarpone and compote. The heat of the pancakes starts to soften the mascarpone and it is in this semi melted state the I believe mascarpone is at it’s best.
They also make great cup cakes. I find these little cake version totally irresistible!
Lemon, Polenta and Almond Cake with Blueberries and Vanilla Mascarpone
Prep and cooking time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Serves: 12
Dietary guide: This cake is gluten free and FODMAP friendly if limited to one serve.
Ingredients
For the cake
250g of butter softened
250g of caster sugar
250g of almond meal
125g of fine polenta plus an extra for tablespoon for dusting the cake tin
2 teaspoons of baking powder
5 large eggs
Zest of 4 lemons
1 teaspoon of almond essence
The seeds of 2 vanilla pods or 2 teaspoons of vanilla paste
200g of blueberries – fresh or frozen
For the topping
300g of blueberries – fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon of corn flour
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
2 tablespoon of icing sugar
500g of mascarpone
The seeds of 1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste
100g of toasted flaked almonds
Method
1. Line the base of 23cm/9 inch springform cake tin with baking parchment and grease the sides with some extra butter. Scatter the extra tablespoon of polenta over the buttered sides of the cake tin – the polenta will stick to the butter and help the cake come away from the sides of the tin. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/335°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients (almond meal, polenta and baking powder) in a bowl.
3. Beat the butter and sugar with a mixer for approximately 10 minutes or until pale and creamy.
4. Add the vanilla, almond essence and 1 egg to the butter and sugar and beat agin. When this is well mixed through, add approximately 1/5 of the dry ingredients to the butter sugar mix and mix thoroughly. Repeat this process of alternating adding dry ingredients and an egg until all the eggs and dry ingredients are incoperated. Add the lemon zest and mix through with a large spoon.
5. Pour into the pre-prepared cake tin and scatter about 200g of the blueberries evenly over the top - reserving the rest of the blueberries for the topping. Place in the oven and bake for about 40-50 minutes or until just set – a little wobble is okay, it will firm up out of the oven. Set aside to cool.
6. To prepare the blueberry compote, add the blueberries, corn flour, half the icing sugar (1 tablespoon) and lemon juice to a small saucepan. If you are using fresh blueberries, add 2 teaspoons of water to the mix. Heat over a medium heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes or until the liquid from the blueberries has thickened up. Set aside to cool.
7. Mix the mascarpone, the remaining 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and the vanilla together. The thickness of mascarpone varies, so if your mascarpone is too runny to spread on the cake, briefly beat the mix with beaters or a whisk to thicken it up.
8. To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake from the cake tin. Spread the mascarpone mix over the top of the cake and carefully top with the blueberry compote and scatter with the toasted flaked almonds.
