Strawberry and Lemon Polenta Cake

Name: Strawberry and Lemon Polenta Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsps coconut oil; 110 grams butter; 150 grams brown sugar ((you can use raw sugar, coconut sugar if you prefer)); zest of one lemon; juice of one lemon; 3 eggs; 3 tbsps shredded coconut; 110 grams polenta; 130 grams self raising flour ((if you don't have any, you can use plain flour with one tsp of baking powder)); 4 tbsps greek yoghurt; 250 grams strawberries (sliced)

Why you're going to love this recipe

Every now and then I make a cake that I cut up and go "wow". This was one of those. It was moist, yummy and just lightly lemony. All the things you need your cake to be. I'm particularly proud that this was good enough to go to school in another kids lunch box the next day (i.e a child not my own!).

Here's why you're going to love this recipe:

light enough for afternoon tea

sweet enough as a dessert

freezer friendly

easy to make

decorated when it comes out of the oven

moist, texture, and enough crunch around the edges

one bowl for mixing

versatile- replace the strawberries with your favourite berries, or even slices of pear or apple

What goes into the recipe

ingredients for strawberry and lemon polenta cake: shredded coconut, butter, strawberries, polenta, self raising flour, greek yoghurt, lemon, eggs, coconut oil and brown sugar

polenta- I use coarsely ground- that I buy from the supermarket, basically any actual polenta will do, just don't buy the prepared polenta, it should look like grains of yello sand rather than a solid lump.

self-raising flour- this is flour that already contains a rising agent. If you don't have any, you can use 1 teaspoon of baking powder in the flour

brown sugar- this helps to give a really nice caramelisation throughout the cake. You can swap for raw sugar if you prefer or even coconut sugar.

greek yoghurt- this helps with the texture and tang of the cake, because it works really well with the lemon to make it even more delicious.

How to make this recipe

Zest the lemon (do this before juicing!) (Image 1)

Juice the lemon (Image 2)

Chop the strawberries. Use the centre slices for the top of the cake, and use the side slices for inside the cake. (Image 3)

Combine the sugar, butter and coconut oil in the bowl of a mixer and cream them until fluffy and creamy. (Image 4)

zesting and juicing the lemon, chopping the strawberries, creaming the butter, oil and sugar

This is the mixture when fluffy and creamy! (Image 5)

Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice and beat. (Image 6)

Add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between each one. (Image 7)

Add the flour, polenta, coconut, yoghurt and beat until combined. (Image 8)

creamed butter and sugar combo, adding in lemon zest and juice, adding eggs and beating, adding polenta, yoghurt, flour and coconut

The batter should be relatively smooth (Image 9).

Add the ⅓ of the strawberries, stirring through.
(Image10)

Add into a lined springform cake pan. (Image 11)

Top with the remaining strawberries, and bake at 180 degrees celsius (355F) for 40 minutes. (Image 12)

finished batter, stirring in strawberries, putting in the cake pan, decorating the top with strawberries

Expert Tips and FAQs

I recommend using a springform tin for this, it will make removing the cake from the tin much easier. If you don't have a springform, I would suggest lining a cake tin and leaving enough baking paper to use as handles to remove the cake.

Don't be afraid of this one because of the polenta. My first ever experience of a cake containing polenta was dry, not unlike a mouthful of sand. But this one pulls out all the stops and certainly doesn't resemble sand!

Can I make this cake with other fruit?

Yes! In fact, it works well with other berries. Sliced pear also works well as does peeled and sliced apple.

Can I freeze this cake?

Yes, I slice it before freezing, so that it is easy to manage when I want a slice. It can also be cut into squares, making it easier to manage for the lunchbox.