Vegan Lemon Polenta Cake
‘This lemon cake must surely be a near-universal pleaser, being dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free; I dare say those who must also exclude nuts could replace the ground almonds with rice flour. If you need the cake to be gluten-free then do check all the ingredients are labelled gluten-free – brands can vary.’
● 100ml light olive oil, plus extra to grease
● 150g ground almonds
● 150g fine polenta (not instant)
● 2tsp baking powder
● ½tsp bicarbonate of soda
● 200g caster sugar
● Finely grated zest and juice 2 large lemons, keep separate
● 250ml almond-milk plain soy yogurt alternative, at room temperature
● 75g icing sugar
TO SERVE (OPTIONAL)
● Berries
1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 and lightly grease the sides of a 20.5cm round springform cake tin. Mix almonds, polenta, baking powder, bicarb and ¼tsp fine sea salt in a bowl.
2 Pour oil into a large measuring jug, add sugar and lemon zest. Stir together for 1min, then beat in yogurt until combined. Mix into the dry ingredients, until combined.
3 Scrape into the prepared tin and bake for about 40min, until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
4 Meanwhile, make the syrup. Heat icing sugar in a small pan with 75ml lemon juice, whisking gently to beat out any lumps, just until sugar is dissolved. Pour into a little jug to cool.
5 Transfer cake (still in tin) to a wire rack and prick all over with a cake tester, going in deep, to help the syrup run down into the cake. Pour or spoon over the syrup, trying to be patient, so the syrup doesn’t just make a large pond on top. Cool.
6 To serve, run a palette knife round the edges, unclip tin and transfer (still on its base) to a flat plate. Serve with berries, if you like.
PER SERVING (if serving 12) 281cals, 5g protein, 14g fat (2g saturates), 33g carbs (24g total sugars), 2g fibre
TO STORE Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.
I should say that I haven’t had much success with this cake when I’ve used purer plant-based yogurts, delicious though they are; a standard commercial type seems to be necessary for the cake’s structure