Lemon cake recipe nigella lawson

Introduction

This cake is a kind of Anglo-Italian amalgam. The flat, plain disc is similar to the confections that sit geometrically arranged in patisserie home windows in Italia the sharp, syrupy sogginess borrows in the classic British teatime favourite, the lemon drizzle cake. It's a good marriage: I really like Italian cooking in most respects save one - I've found their cakes both too dry and too sweet. Here, though, the flavoursome grittiness from the polenta and tender boulders of ground almonds provide a lot better a foil for that wholly desirable dampness than will the usual flour. But there's more into it than that. By a few alchemical process, the lemon highlights the eggy butteriness from the cake, which makes it wealthy and sharp simultaneously. Should you attempt to imagine what lemon curd would taste as with cake form, this is it.

This cake is a kind of Anglo-Italian amalgam. The flat, plain disc is similar to the confections that sit geometrically arranged in patisserie home windows in Italia the sharp, syrupy sogginess borrows in the classic British teatime favourite, the lemon drizzle cake. It's a good marriage: I really like Italian cooking in most respects save one - I've found their cakes both too dry and too sweet. Here, though, the flavoursome grittiness from the polenta and tender boulders of ground almonds provide a lot better a foil for that wholly desirable dampness than will the usual flour. But there's more into it . By a few alchemical process, the lemon highlights the eggy butteriness from the cake, which makes it wealthy and sharp simultaneously. Should you attempt to imagine what lemon curd would taste as with cake form, this is it.

As featured in

KITCHEN

For that Cake

200 grams soft unsalted butter (and several for greasing)
200 grams caster sugar
200 grams ground almonds
100 grams fine polenta (or cornmeal)
1 teaspoons baking powder (see NOTE below)
3 large eggs
zest of two lemons (save juice for syrup)

For that Syrup

juice of two lemons
125 grams icing sugar

For that Cake

1 sticks soft unsalted butter (and several for greasing)
1 cup superfine sugar
2 cups almond meal
cup fine polenta (or cornmeal)
1 teaspoons baking powder (see NOTE below)
3 large eggs
zest of two lemons (save juice for syrup)

For that Syrup

juice of two lemons
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Method

Line the bottom of a 23cm / 9inch springform cake tin with baking parchment and grease its sides gently with butter.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/ 350°F.
Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, either by hands inside a bowl having a wooden spoon, or utilizing a free standing mixer.
Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder, and beat a number of this in to the butter-sugar mixture, adopted by 1 egg, then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating even while.
Finally, beat within the lemon zest and pour, spoon or scrape the mix to your prepared tin and bake within the oven for around 40 minutes.
It might appear wibbly but, when the cake is cooked, a cake tester may come out cleanish and, most considerably, the perimeters from the cake will have started to shrink from the sides from the tin. remove in the oven to some wire cooling rack, but leave in the tin.
Result in the syrup by boiling together the fresh lemon juice and icing sugar inside a smallish saucepan.
When the icing sugar’s dissolved in to the juice, you’re done.
Prick the top cake throughout having a cake tester (a skewer could be too destructive), pour the nice and cozy syrup within the cake, and then leave to awesome before you take it of their tin.

Line the bottom of a 23cm / 9inch springform cake tin with baking parchment and grease its sides gently with butter.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/ 350°F.
Beat the butter and sugar till pale and whipped, either by hands inside a bowl having a wooden spoon, or utilizing a free standing mixer.
Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder, and beat a number of this in to the butter-sugar mixture, adopted by 1 egg, then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating even while.
Finally, beat within the lemon zest and pour, spoon or scrape the mix to your prepared tin and bake within the oven for around 40 minutes.
It might appear wibbly but, when the cake is cooked, a cake tester may come out cleanish and, most considerably, the perimeters from the cake will have started to shrink from the sides from the tin. remove in the oven to some wire cooling rack, but leave in the tin.
Result in the syrup by boiling together the fresh lemon juice and confectioners' sugar inside a smallish saucepan.
When the confectioners' sugar’s dissolved in to the juice, you’re done.
Prick the top cake throughout having a cake tester (a skewer could be too destructive), pour the nice and cozy syrup within the cake, and then leave to awesome before you take it of their tin.

More Information

NOTE: To create this cake gluten-free, make certain to make use of gluten-free baking powder, or omit the baking powder altogether and beat the batter exuberantly at step four.

What 59 Others have stated

Scrumptious cake! I additionally used course semolina among the people stated below and that i agreed it creates a far more interesting crust. although I'd like to repeat the process with fine semolina because it so fast and simple to create. Only downside, the egdes of my cake left my fan aided oven quite brown, so not very confident that I ought to lessen the heat/cooking the next time?

Published by Jas83 on 19th May 2016

Lovely cake. I made use of almond flour and that i put 1 / 2 of a fresh lemon juice within the cake scrumptious.

Published by chrislew on fifth April 2016

Love this recipe. I attempted it two times and Ladies coarse grain polenta it can make for an infinitely more exciting crust. I additionally attempted orange which isn't as nice, also it's better offered awesome instead of warm.

Published by SarahBakerCakes on first Feb 2016

JUST Believe Me: Use a top quality limoncello rather from the syrup, and allow it to sit overnight. Your visitors will RAVE relating to this cake :)

Published by SisterMableSyrup on 21st December 2015

Love this recipe! It's my go-to staple when I must bake something at short notice. By looking into making a couple of tweaks - I 've resolved the problem by using it sinking in the centre. I whip butter and sugar longer, add some eggs with no spoon of dry ingredients (never curdles) just use 1 teaspoon from the baking powder and bake 5 minutes longer.

Published by plastrons on 29th November 2015

Lovely cake would be a little concerned about the about of syrup however it was ok within the finish and sampled great.

Published by Angelmouse5 on 21st November 2015

Truly scrumptious,with the additional benefit of no flour. Every crumb scrumbtious. (sorry!) Do not get a guilty conscience eating this. Thanks Nigella!

Published by madmary1 on 14th October 2015

This cake is tasty and moist. I did not have almonds on me but did substitute it with hazelnuts also it was scrumptious.

Published by Kbwarren on first October 2015

This really is scrumptious also it fast and simple to construct. These 'go to' dessert would be a GF Almond lemon cake however this surpasses in ease and taste. Love the additional polenta. Like it. Very easy for me personally who isn't a dessert maker. Thanks.

Published by vidaeterna on 26th September 2015

Wonderful recipe.Squisitissima. If you are searching for any dairy free alternative try by replacing the butter with Nuttelex. I attempted this and also the cake got the thumbs up from the colleagues at the office..not really a crumb remained!

Published by Mavros on 24th June 2015

Fabulous! Preferred among my loved ones however, there might not be a great deal left on their behalf by tomorrow. Tips about how to resist this cake, please! Simple to make and scrumptious results. Very moist and lemony. Oven timing only agreed to be right at 40mins and also the syrup drenched in well without collecting at the end from the cake.

Published by mandynelson on twelfth May 2015

I have been making variations of the cake with gluten flour for sometime. Today I decided to consider using a gluten-free version. I seemed to be given a lot of limes so replaced the lemon for limes making a cordial syrup with the remaining limes. I didn't remember the butter, and replaced a lot of the almond flour with steamed and ground chestnuts. Clearly another cake but tasty! I so love experimenting!