Recipe: Polenta Lemon Cake with Berry Sauce (using ground almonds)

DON PINTABONA'S POLENTA LEMON CAKE WITH FRESH BERRIES
"This dessert couldn't be more simple to prepare and makes unique use of polenta. When shopping for lemons, be sure to choose bright yellow ones with a strong fragrance, both of which are good indicators of the potency of the zest."


11 ounces (2 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons (reserve juice for berries, below)
3 1/2 cups ground almonds (almond flour)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
7 tablespoons corn oil or vegetable oil
5 large eggs, at room temperature, slightly beaten
2/3 cup polenta or coarse cornmeal
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Berry Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-inch cake pan.

Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the almonds, vanilla, lemon extract, oil, and eggs and beat until well incorporated. Fold in the polenta, cake flour, baking powder, and salt and combine thoroughly into a homogeneous mixture. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes, and then remove from the pan.

Spoon Berry Sauce over wedges of the polenta cake and serve.

BERRY SAUCE

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Juice of 2 lemons
2 1/2 cups fresh berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, cleaned and sliced if necessary

Heat the 1 cup water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar melts and a thick syrup is formed. As soon as the first hint of brown caramelization shows, immediately remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then the berries.

Makes 6-8 servings
Source: Chef On A Shoestring by Andrew Friedman