MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE — LEMON, POLENTA & ALMOND CAKE

THIS cake keeps really well (four days in a cake tin, at least a week in a plastic bag in the fridge), is delicious plain, and is great for a lunch or dinner party: just put small slices on individual plates and serve with a spoon of fruit curd or coulis and another of crème fraîche, clotted or whipped cream, or ice cream.

450g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

450g caster sugar

450g ground almonds

1½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt 2 tsp good vanilla essence Zest of

4 lemons Juice of 1 lemon

6 eggs

225g fine polenta flour Fruit curd or coulis Crème fraiche, cream or ice cream SET the oven to 160c/140c fan/ gas 3. Line the bottom of a loose-bottomed 30cm cake tin with baking parchment. Lightly grease the bottom and sides, and dust with flour. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until pale and light. Stir in the ground almonds, baking powder and salt, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, each time with a spoon of polenta. Fold in the rest of the polenta. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for one hour, covering the cake lightly with a piece of foil or a folded sheet of newspaper after 45 minutes. After an hour, give the cake a little shake. If the middle doesn’t wobble, the top is brown and the edges are just beginning to shrink away from the sides, the cake is done. If not, give it another ten minutes or so. Cool in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve in slices with fruit coulis or curd, and cream. For a St Clement’s version, swap half the lemon zest with orange zest and add 2 tsp of orange water to the cake.