Lemony Polenta Cake with Blueberries

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

This gluten free, rustic cake is a treat at the end of a meal, but is also great served with a cup of afternoon of tea or even for breakfast! This recipe was developed using Quaker Oats’ yellow cornmeal, but locally milled cornmeal is a good substitute.

Serves 8–10

1½ whole lemons (preferably organic), washed
3 cups almond flour
1 cup cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Cut 1½ lemons into 12 chunks. Cut off any hard remnants of the stem and remove any seeds. Place lemons in a microwave-safe bowl and cover and microwave until flesh is very soft, about 4 minutes. Allow lemons to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer lemons to processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Whisk together the almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Using a standing mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, and beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add lemon purée and vanilla and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Reduce speed to low and add the almond and polenta mixture until just incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Gently fold in blueberries.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55–60 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Picnic Tips: This cake tastes just as good the second day, so to lighten your prep on the day of the picnic, feel free to make this the day before. Once the cake has completely cooled, transfer it to a platter and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Alternatively, use a cake caddy. The cake does not need to be transported in a cooler.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2020 issue as part of a larger story on Italian-style picnics.