A simple, rustic Italian-style polenta cake made with crunchy cornmeal and scented with fresh lemon.
This polenta cake is a favorite dessert recipe from my file. It’s a rustic, Italian-inspired cake infused with lemon zest and juice, with a tender texture and the lovely crunch of stoneground cornmeal — a/k/a polenta.
It’s the sort of peasant-style sweet I love.
You could cut it into slices and just eat it with your hands, or sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve alongside generous helpings of whatever seasonal fruit is the sweetest at the moment, such lightly sweetened berries in the summer, or these prosecco-poached pears in the fall and winter months.
Tips for perfect polenta cake:
- For easier whipping, bring egg whites to room temperature. Here’s a great shortcut: crack and separate the yolk and whites into a small dish while getting your cake pan and the rest of the ingredients ready. You can also place the whole uncracked eggs in a bowl of very warm water for 15 minutes.
- Keep the wrapped cake at room temperature for several days — the texture and flavor will actually improve the day after baking.
- Lightly oil your cake pan and parchment paper to easily release the cake from the pan.
Watch this video to learn how to make a parchment paper cake circle:
Lemon Polenta Cake
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 1 8-inch cake
This simple, rustic Italian-style polenta cake recipe will be a keeper in your recipe file. It has a lovely crunch of cornmeal and lots of fresh lemon.
- Serve the cake plain or with lightly sweetened fresh fruit.
- The cake keeps well for several days at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1 cup polenta, or stone-ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place an oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with lightly oiled parchment paper to fit.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat the eggs, egg whites and sugar in a heavy-duty stand mixer until pale and creamy. On low speed, mix in the oil. butter, yogurt, lemon zest and juice.
- Stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35 - 40 minutes, or until the top feels firm (not hard) and a toothpick inserted in the center of cake come out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool.
- Sift powdered sugar over the cake and serve.
Courses dessert
Cuisine baking
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I made a similar version of this from Nigella the other day and it was delicious. So dense and full of zing from the lemons. I like the crunch the polenta gives each slice. I hate to admit it but it didn’t last long!
Karen says
Yes, that lemony crunch is slightly habit-forming…I know exactly what you mean, Claire.
Callie {Rawxy} says
I’m a bit back logged on my reader – but none-the-less, this cake looks absolutely divine! Given my slight obsession lemon desserts and most recently polenta-anything — this is just begging to be made!
tanya1234 nasser says
luv it thank you
Lisa says
I must try this! Looks delicious!
Adri says
My husband is wild for polenta cake. I’ll have to give this a go!
Amy says
I’ve just made this for my husband but replaced the all purpose flour with gluten free flour and it has worked perfectly! I can’t wait to dive in! Oops sorry, I mean for him to try it 😉
Laura says
Polenta is not cornmeal, in Italian cornmeal is ‘farina di mais’.
Polenta is a kind of mush: You pour cornmeal in hot salted water, and cook it for about one hour; this is polenta.
Tiffany says
I’ve just tried it with some figs on the top : gorgeous ! Thank you so much for this recipe !
Karen says
So happy to hear that Tiffany!
Tarsha says
My husband is not a huge dessert fan so I made this thinking that it would be less sweet than many desserts. This turned out to be the case. A friend made a lemon custard to go with it and wow! Nobody could keep their hands off it! My stepmother, who is a tiny little thing who lives on salads year round, actually had not one but two large servings! This is a recipe that is going into the family cookbook for often used recipes. Thank you!
Karen says
Thanks so much for letting my know, Tarsha. I love the image of your stepmother digging in to the cake! Glad you all enjoyed.