RHUBARB POLENTA CAKE WITH POMEGRANATE

MAKES 1 X 20CM CAKE 200g forced rhubarb trimmed and sliced 2 tbsp lemon juice 180g unsalted butter softened and diced plus extra for tin 200g golden caster sugar 3 large eggs finely grated zest of 1 lemon 130g ground almonds 2 rounded tsp baking powder sifted 100g fine polenta (or grind coarse polenta in an electric coffee mill) TO SERVE icing sugar for dusting greek yoghurt or crème fraîche pomegranate seeds 1 Place the rhubarb in a small saucepan with the lemon juice, cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes or until it collapses, stirring halfway through. Leave to cool. 2 Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Butter a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin at least 5cm deep and line the base with paper. 3 Place the remaining ingredients for the cake in the bowl of a food processor and cream together. Tip the rhubarb into a sieve set over a bowl and press out the liquid. Add the liquid to the cake mixture, which should be smooth and creamy but slightly grainy. Transfer it to a bowl and fold in the rhubarb. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the surface with the spoon, and bake for 40-50 minutes until golden, risen and firm and shrinking from the sides. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Run a knife around the cake, remove the collar and leave to cool before removing the base and paper and placing on a serving plate. The cake will keep for several days loosely covered. 4 Shortly before serving dust the cake with icing sugar. It is lovely served with a dollop of greek yoghurt or crème fraîche, scattered with pomegranate seeds. ➤