Berry, Citrus and Polenta Cake (Gluten Free)
Serve this moist, delicious cake with the cream filling, or simply dusted with icing sugar and a bowl of thick plain yoghurt alongside. Use fresh berries when in season.
INGREDIENTS
225 grams butter, very soft but not melted
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup instant polenta
1 cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
pinch of salt
finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon and 1 small orange
2 cups frozen berries, I used a mix of raspberries and blackberries
50 grams brittle, roughly chopped, optional*
Filling
150 grams cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ cup cream, softly whipped
METHOD
Grease a 23 cm spring form tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 160˚C
Filling: Beat the cream cheese, caster sugar, lemon zest and juice until light and fluffy. Fold in the cream then cover and chill until ready to use.
Cake: Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Using a large metal spoon fold in the polenta, almonds, baking powder, salt and the zest and juice.
Spoon half of the batter into the tin and arrange half of the berries on top. Top with the rest of the batter then sprinkle over the remaining berries and all of the brittle.
Bake for 55–60 minutes until golden and just firm in the centre. Cool in the tin.
To serve: Remove from the tin and slice the cake in half if filling. Slide a flat baking tray between the layers and remove the top layer.
Spread with the filling and replace the top layer. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Makes 1 cake
Handy note: I keep bars of peanut and sesame seed brittle from Asian food stores in my pantry for a quick topping to sprinkle on ice cream, tarts, cakes and pavlovas.
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latest issue:
126
We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.