Raspberry and Polenta Cake

Serve this moist, delicious cake filled with the lemon cream or simply dusted with icing sugar and the lemon cream or yoghurt on the side. To make it extra special serve with a jug of raspberry coulis too.

INGREDIENTS

200 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 raspberries

Lemon cream
200 grams cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons icing sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ cup cream, softly whipped

23 cm spring form cake tin, greased and base and sides lined with baking paper

Raspberry coulis
2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed with their juice
3-4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 160°C

Lemon cream: Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, lemon zest and juice until light and fluffy. Fold in the cream (it will look a little lumpy) then cover and chill for at least 1 hour to firm up before using.

Cake: Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Combine the polenta, almonds, baking powder and salt, then using a large metal spoon, fold into the egg mixture along with the zest and juice.

Spoon half the batter into the tin and arrange half the raspberries on top. Top with the rest of the batter and use the back of spoon to spread evenly then sprinkle over the remaining raspberries.

Bake for 55-60 minutes until golden and just firm in the centre. Cool in the tin.

To serve: Remove from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice the cake in half if filling and slide a flat baking tray between the layers to remove the top layer.

Spread with the filling and replace the top layer. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Makes 1 cake

Raspberry coulis: Put the raspberries, 3 tablespoons of the icing sugar and the lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add more icing sugar if needed. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding the seeds. Makes about 1⅓ cups