Plain and simple Lemon Polenta Cake, a rustic Italian-style cake made with whole grain cornmeal and lots of fresh lemon.

This lemon polenta cake is a family-favorite dessert from my file, a definite keeper recipe.

It’s easy to make, and bakes up into rustic, Italian-inspired cake infused with lemon zest and juice.

The cake has a tender texture and the lovely crunch of coarse cornmeal —  a/k/a polenta!

It’s just the sort of homey, plain and simple cake I love.

How to serve lemon polenta cake

This cake is fantastic as a plain tea cake or snack.

Cut it into slices and just eat it with your hands.

Or, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and serve alongside generous helpings of whatever seasonal fruit is at its sweetest at the moment.

Try lightly sweetened berries, plums or peaches in the summer, or prosecco-poached pears or roasted apples in the fall and winter months.

What is polenta cornmeal?

The difference between baking with very fine cornmeal (cornflour) and coarse cornmeal comes down to texture.

Cornmeal is ground from dried corn, and varies in grind from fine to coarse.

Fine cornmeal is processed to remove gritty texture, and often most of the healthy parts go with it.

I love baking with coarse cornmeal, which is ground from the entire kernel, and it retains the grain’s natural germ and bran.

You can find this type of cornmeal in your regular grocery store.

I often buy Bob’s Red Mill Polenta Corn Grits and sometimes splurge on the special cornmeal and corn grits from Anson Mills.

How to Make Lemon polenta cake:

Bring ingredients to room temperature, including the eggs.

Lightly oil your cake pan and parchment paper to easily release the cake from the pan.

Shortcut to room temperature eggs: Crack the whole eggs 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.

Whisk dry ingredients, including flour, coarse cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Beat eggs, egg whites and sugar in an electric mixer until creamy and light, then fold in the dry ingredients and lemon zest.

Transfer to a lined and oiled 8″ cake pan and bake about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Like many cakes, the texture and flavor will actually improve the day after baking – but honestly, in our house it rarely lasts that long!

Keep the wrapped cake at room temperature for several days.

Can you freeze polenta cake?

Lemon polenta cake can be frozen:

Cool completely, then wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and freeze up to 1 month Defrost at room temperature

Continue to Content

Yield: 1 8-inch cake

Easy Lemon Polenta Cake

Print

This simple, rustic Italian-style Lemon Polenta Cake recipe will be a keeper in your recipe file! It has a lovely crunch of cornmeal and lots of fresh lemon

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup polenta (165g), or stone-ground cornmeal
• 3/4 cup (105g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 egg whites (1/4 cup, 60ml)
• 1 cup (22g) sugar
• 1/4 cup ((60ml) olive oil or neutral oil (such as canola or avocado)
• 2 tablespoons (30g) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees Celsius) and place an oven rack in the center of the oven.
2. Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper to fit (see video above) and lightly brush the bottom and sides of the pan with oil or cooking spray.
3. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Beat the eggs, egg whites and sugar in a heavy-duty stand mixer on medium-high speed 4-5 minutes, until pale and creamy. On low speed, mix in the oil. butter, yogurt, lemon zest and juice.
5. 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 comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool - run a dull knife around the edge of the pan to loosen.
6. Sift powdered sugar over the cake and serve.

Notes

• Serve the cake plain or with lightly sweetened fresh fruit.
• The cake keeps well for several days at room temperature.
• I sometimes substitute an Italian lemon olive oil when I feel like splurging - it tastes amazing!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 413Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 398mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 2gSugar: 42gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate with your favorite calculator.

Pin this recipe: