Lemon and Thyme Polenta Cake
Ground almonds and polenta instead of flour, so it is dense, damp and faintly gritty in the way this kind of cake should be. The thyme is not a novelty — it takes the edge off the sweetness.
- Prep 20 min
- Cook 45 min
- Total 1 h 5 min
- Serves 10
- Vegetarian
Method
Step 1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Butter a 23 cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
Step 2. Beat the butter and sugar together for a full 4 minutes, until visibly paler and much lighter. This is the only aeration the cake gets, so do not cut it short.
Step 3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. If it curdles, add a spoonful of the ground almonds and carry on.
Step 4. Fold in the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, lemon zest, chopped thyme and salt until just combined.
Step 5. Scrape into the tin, level the top, and bake for 45 minutes. It is done when the top is golden, the edges are shrinking from the tin, and a skewer comes out with a few damp crumbs — not clean. A clean skewer means it is already dry.
Step 6. While it bakes, warm the lemon juice, sugar and thyme sprigs in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil it; it only needs to be syrupy, not reduced.
Step 7. Prick the hot cake all over with a skewer, right down to the bottom, and pour the warm syrup slowly over it. Let it sink in, then pour more. It will look like far too much liquid and it will all be absorbed.
Step 8. Leave it to cool completely in the tin. It is fragile while warm and firms up as it sets. Decorate with lemon slices and thyme.
Notes from the kitchen
- Hot cake, warm syrup. If either is cold, the syrup sits on top and makes the surface soggy instead of soaking through.
- It is better on day two and keeps for four days in a tin. Do not refrigerate it — the almonds go hard and waxy.
- Rosemary works instead of thyme, in half the quantity. It is much stronger and will take over.
