Servings: 10 – 12 Time: Around 1hr 50 min including baking and cooling
Difficulty: Easy
A fairly quick and straight-forward cake. Good taste and a lovely grainy texture.
Credit: Adapted from an original Mary Berry recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 300g unsalted butter, softened
- 300g caster sugar
- 2 limes – zest/rind + juice
- 4 eggs (beaten)
- 300g ground almonds
- 150g polenta
- 1 tsp baking powder
Glaze:
- 1 lime – zest/rind + juice
- 75g caster sugar
- Icing sugar for dusting
Equipment: A deep sided 23cm/9″ round spring-form tin
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 140° fan. Grease the tin and line the base with baking paper.
- Put butter, sugar and the lime zest into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually whisk in the eggs, then add ground almonds, polenta, lime juice and 1 tspn baking powder. Carefully fold in until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake in the oven for about 75 – 80 minutes. (Check after 60 mins – cover if necessary). Put to one side while making the glaze.
- For the glaze, put 75g sugar, 2 tablespoons of water and the juice from the third lime in a pan and stir over a low heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 2 – 3 minutes until syrupy. (Keep the lime zest for later) Spoon the hot syrup over the still warm cake. (N.B. When I made this cake I pricked holes before adding the glaze. Probably wasn’t necessary – it’s up to you.)
- Leave the baked cake in the tin until fully cooled.
- Remove from the tin, transfer to a serving plate or cake stand. Dust with icing sugar and sprinkle the zest over the top prior to serving.
Final comment: This cake can rise quite high so make sure your tin has sufficient depth.
Retired Bloke on Food n stuff 