Under The Tuscan Sun
I totally loved that movie. Do you remember it? It starred Diane Lane as a woman who leaves her life behind and buys a run down villa in Tuscany. She meets all these awesome quirky, wonderful characters. They fix her little villa, she falls in love, but mostly, they cook and eat amazing meals together. Everything is perfect and they all live happily ever after. All together, all under the Tuscan sun. I’m telling you, that’s food porn for me! Add some Lemon Polenta Cake and it’s positively heavenly!
This little ditty gives me the same feel as that movie. Just open your own villa doors and let the sunshine in! Walk outside and pick the fresh lemons from your tree. Grab some freshly laid eggs from the roaming chickens, put on some Italian music and make this amazing Lemon Polenta Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream. You just might be able to imagine you’re in Tuscany! This cake is not a beauty, but it is one of my very favorite desserts in the world. I hope you like it too.
Polenta Cake – The Perfect Dessert To Serve After A Rustic, Italian Meal
This cake is so lemony, you won’t believe it! You’ll want to eat it before you even bake it! It’s rustic presentation is beautiful. Serve with a great big spoon onto plates or bowls and top with lightly whipped cream.
Into your mixer bowl, add 3/4 cups softened butter, cut into small cubes and sugar. Mix until light yellow. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating each one until it disappears. Add the juice and the zest of 2 1/2 lemons.
You should have at least 1/2 cup lemon juice. Slice the remaining lemon half thinly, set aside. Add the cornmeal, the flour and baking powder and mix by hand until fully incorporated. Pour into lightly sprayed or buttered, 8 inch baking dish. I used a deep 8 inch souffle pan, which worked perfectly. Top with sliced lemons.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350°, 35-40 minutes. The cake should browned around the edges and be pulling away from the side of the pan and set and firm on top. This is best served warm with whip cream! If you need to reheat it, put it in the oven covered for 10 minutes at 300°.
The top is brown and crispy on th edges. Once you take a spoonful, you can see the soft center full of creamy lemon flavor, with plenty of polenta texture. Top with whipped cream for a prefect bite.
Cake - Lemon Polenta Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream
Notes
This is a rustic cake that looks beautiful served with a large spoon.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 lemons
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup ground yellow cornmeal
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Cream
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Into your mixer bowl, add 3/4 cups butter, cut into small cubes with the sugar.
- Mix until light yellow.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating each one until it disappears.
- Add the juice and the zest of 2 1/2 lemons.
- Slice the remaining lemon thinly, set aside.
- Add the corneal and the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt and mix by hand until fully incorporated.
- Pour into lightly buttered, 8 inch baking pan or glass pie dish.
- Top with sliced lemons.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350°, then reduce heat to 325° and continue to bake another 10 minutes.
- The cake should be pulling away from the edges and a a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For the Vanilla Whipped Cream
- Add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla to a medium size bowl.
- Using a mixer, whip until soft folds.
Serve cake warm or room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.
- Enjoy!
Karen Harris https://www.bittersaltysoursweet.com
