Lemon Polenta Cake

I’m not a great cake fan.  In many ways, I’m happy about this, because if I were a fan of anything else edible, I think I might be in very serious trouble.

But I am a lemon fan – so this is another  wonderful way to serve that glorious fruit. And my kids love it, which is always a surprise!

You need:

1 ¼ cups cake flour (if you want to use Spelt Flour, which is gluten free, then that is also fine.)

1 ¼ cups sugar

½ cup polenta

½ t Bicarb

½ t salt

170ml Buttermilk

¼ cup Olive oil

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla essence

Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon

Mix the flour, sugar, polenta, bicarb and salt together in one bowl.  In another bowl mix Buttermilk, Olive oil, eggs, vanilla essence and lemon rind and juice well together.  Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well. 

Pour the batter into a well-greased 20 – 22cm spring-form baking tin and bake for 30 – 40 minutes (depending on your oven).  The cake should be browned, but not dry.  Let it cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before allowing it to cool completely on a wire rack.

I put some home-made Lemon Curd on mine.  You could also make an icing  by mixing the juice of half a lemon with about 1 ½ cups of sifted icing sugar and then adding as much water as you think is necessary.

Lemon Meringue Pie

A quick and easy treat for unexpected visitors...or in my case, for treat-loving children.

Preheat oven to 180°c

1 200g packet of digestive biscuits
90g butter or margarine-melted

Mix together and press into an average size pie plate.

1 tin condensed milk
125 ml fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks
½ tsp grated lemon zest

Beat the egg yolks well. Add the balance of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into the prepared pie base and bake for 15 minutes.

3 egg whites
¼ cup castor sugar
Tiny pinch of cream of tartar
1 tsp lemon juice

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the castor sugar and lemon juice and beat til the meringue is shiny and stiff.
Spoon onto the baked pie-making sure that the pie is completely covered.

Bake again for 12 to 15 minutes, until the meringue tips begin to change colour.

Allow to cool before serving(if you are allowed to!)