Vegan Recipe Update
I created this recipe a long time and will leave the original here, but please note I have posted an updated recipe with vegan, plant-based ingredients here: Gluten-free Lemon Polenta Cake (Vegan)
Wow, it’s been a reaaaaalllly long time since I last posted anything. Sorry about that… But I’m back now! And I hope you all enjoyed the holidays. I know I did *pats belly.*
Today I’ve been baking some lemon drizzle slices, but with a few surprise ingredients…
This recipe is adapted from Nigella’s Lemon Polenta Cake but in my version, I’ve used olive oil in place of butter for a wonderfully light texture and to cut back on the cholesterol and saturated fats.
Olive oil also contains vitamin E which helps keep the baked goods fresher for longer.
I love olive oil and use it in most of the meals I make, but rarely baking, I think that might change now though…
These cake slices remind me of Mr Kipling Lemon Slices (but way better OBV) – that same intense lemon flavour and moist, spongy cake.
This version is both gluten-free and dairy-free. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Olive Oil Cake {Gluten-free, Dairy-free}
This recipe can be used to fit a 8 x 8 inch brownie tin or a 9 inch cake tin.
Ingredients
- 160 ml good quality olive oil
- 200 g caster sugar, superfine sugar
- 200 g ground almonds
- 100 g polenta, cornmeal
- 1 ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large lemons, zest and juice
- 200 g icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease the tin with a little olive oil and line with greaseproof paper.
- Mix the sugar and olive oil together until pale and frothy.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ground almonds, cornmeal and baking powder.
- Pour the dry mixture into the olive oil and sugar bowl and mix. Then crack in 1 of the eggs, followed by the dry mixture then alternate the eggs and dry ingredients. Keep mixing all the while.
- Add the lemon zest and mix again until fully incorporated. Pour or scrape the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the cake has begun to shrink away from the edges of the tin.
- Make the syrup by boiling together half of the lemon juice and 50g of the icing sugar in a small saucepan. Once the icing sugar’s dissolved into the juice, it's ready.
- Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester (a skewer will leave bigger holes but this is fine once you've covered it with icing), pour the warm syrup over the cake, and leave to cool before taking it out of its tin.
- Make the icing by mixing the remainder icing sugar and lemon juice, then once the cake has cooled, pour it on top and smooth over evenly.
- Leave the icing to set then cut into slices or squares. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Nigella's Lemon Polenta Cake
Tasneem Gwaderi says
Hi Aimee,
Thank you so much for this recipe. At this point I’ve made this recipe about half a dozen times and shared with so many friends, and every time it has been met with huge delight! The first time was for a friend who is gluten and dairy intolerant, however it’s so good I now make it for everyone with full confidence, even with my slightly dodgy oven (I have to lower the shelf and reduce the cooking time to just half an hour). I’ve multiplied it up to make a 14 inch cake, I’ve paired it with raspberries, and most recently with a lemon mascarpone icing. The only addition I make is a largish pinch of salt, but it is the easiest, most delicious lemon drizzle I’ve ever had, and I didn’t even used to like lemon drizzle!
I’ve also adapted the method to make an amazing gluten and dairy-free vanilla cake which I can honestly say tastes as good as any traditional Victoria Sponge I’ve ever had, and the texture is consistently excellent. It’s the recipe that keeps on giving!
So yes, I thought it was about time I said thank you :)
Keep up the amazing work!
Taz
Aimee says
Wow, thank you Taz! That’s so good to hear. I would love to see your victoria sponge! Is it on your instagram?
Tasneem Gwaderi says
Absolutely!
https://instagram.com/p/3E11fqK8jk/?taken-by=tazbites shows the texture when I tested it out for the first time as a Victoria Sponge, then I made it twice more: https://instagram.com/p/3IwrYwK8nL/?taken-by=tazbites and https://instagram.com/p/8q8FFbq8v8/?taken-by=tazbites
xx
Aimee says
Oh my goodness, the texture looks incredible!! And I love the adorable peppa pig decorated one :-) OK I’m gonna have to experiment with this now… thanks for the inspiration x
Tasneem Gwaderi says
Absolutely my pleasure.
xx
Emma says
For your lemon drizzle cake olive oil recipe is it essential to add the almonds as the person I am baking the cake for is allergic to nuts xxx please reply soon xxx
Carol StJohn says
Any ideas of making these without the corn meal…something else to replace it?…they sound delicious…
Rosebud says
I’m not sure why you call them dairy free when you use eggs. Your title is misleading.
Aimee says
Eggs aren’t dairy.
Kara says
Do you have the US measurements for this handy?