Lemon Polenta Cake

I'm having a bit of an obsession with polenta at the moment. It's dirt cheap to buy and really versatile - you can make everything from savoury chips, creamy polenta as an alternative to mashed potato, and even use it in cakes as I've done here for a lemon polenta cake. It gives this cake a lovely almondy crunchy texture so is worth giving a go if you want a change from a standard fluffy sponge!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients: 

• 125g soft margarine  (Stork)
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 70g polenta
• 100g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon
• 50g granulated sugar

Simple Steps:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C
2. Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl.
3. Mix in the eggs one at a time until combined.
4. Gently fold in the flour and baking powder and polenta.
5. Grate the lemon and add zest to mixture.
6. Squeeze half the lemon and add juice (save the other half for the glaze).
7. Pour the mixture into a lined 7" cake tin.
8. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Leave the cake in the tin.
10. Make the glaze by juicing the other half of the lemon and mixing together with the granulated sugar and pour over cake in the tin.
11. Allow to cool then put onto a plate and serve.

Tips and Tricks:

• Make the glaze while the cake is cooking to save time so you can put it on as soon as it's out the oven - the lemon juice will infuse in the cake better to give it a fruiter taste.
• Try other alternatives such as orange instead of lemon for a citrusy twist!