polenta, almond and lemon cake

rating:

from the River Café Cookbook

nb: half quantities are perfect for a normal family. This amount made a large cake and a small one cooked in a flat cake tin.

450g (1lb) unsalted butter, softened
450g (1lb) caster sugar
450g ground almonds
2 teaspoons good vanilla essence
6 eggs
zest of 4 lemons
juice of 1 lemon
225g (8ozs) polenta
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 160°C. Butter and flour a 30cm (12") cake tin.

beat butter and sugar together until pale and light. Stir in the ground almonds and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the lemon juice and zest, the polenta, baking powder and salt.

spoon into prepared tin and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 mins, then check. If the top is deep brown before cake is set, place a circle of greaseproof paper on top to prevent burning while the body of the cake cooks through.

the cake seems to take about 1h 30m in all.

quantities for one ordinary-sized cake:

225g unsalted butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225 ground almonds
1 teaspoon good vanilla essence
3 eggs
zest of 2 lemons
juice of half lemon
112g polenta
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
good pinch of salt