A simple polenta cake recipe flavored with lemon. It has ricotta cheese for moisture and is served with a gorgeous blueberry sauce. The texture is dense, sweet and a welcomed change from the usual sponge cakes.
A unique cake with fantastic flavors!
I've meant to make a polenta cake for a long time. This cake recipe is unlike any of the usual fluffier lemon cakes or even denser pound cakes.
It's a great recipe with simple ingredients and a very different texture, a coarser cake that needs no lemon glaze but is phenomenal with a berry sauce.
It's dense, super moist, and coarse but not gritty, with big flavors and a rather unappealing appearance. It's not a looker unless you drench it in blueberry sauce, which is a must for me. But you can eat it as a plain snack cake.
I'm a big polenta fan. I ate it all the time as a kid and loved it. It pairs so ridiculously well with lemons that I'm happy to share this recipe with you.
The list of ingredients describes a cake that is sweet and wonderfully moist but somewhat coarse from the polenta (which can be similar in texture to using nut flours in a cake).
I love lemon-flavored bakes just like anyone else. I think it might be the number one flavor worldwide—in the top two, for sure.
When paired with blueberries, it's a party, and this blog already has several recipes to prove it, like the lemon blueberry pound cake or the super-easy blueberry dump cake.
About polenta
Polenta is yellow corn that is coarsely ground. Though the name is a dish in Italy, it is also used to refer to cornmeal.
It ranges from very fine (usually known as cornflour) to very coarse (grits are an example, though they come from different types of corn).
Instant polenta is the one you want to use for this recipe because it absorbs liquid better, so the cake will have a finer and not gritty texture. If you use regular polenta or old-fashioned, which takes a long time to cook, the bite might not be as soft.
Ingredient list
- Lemons: both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are used for this recipe. The cake will be sweeter if using Meyer lemons (instead of regular lemons).
- Polenta: the instant type from the supermarket is the best choice.
- Ricotta: I use whole ricotta cheese, but low fat can work, though it makes the cake less rich.
- Honey: any mild honey you like works. If you use a very pungent one, the flavor will come through more in the final cake.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Unsalted butter.
- White, granulated sugar.
- All-purpose flour or cake flour.
- Baking powder: make sure it's not expired.
- Salt.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
About ricotta cheese
Ricotta is a soft, grainy cheese made from cow's milk in this case (though it can also be made with goat, sheep, or buffalo milk).
I use the regular soft ricotta sold in supermarkets or specialty stores for all of my recipes. It's creamy but granular, moist, and almost sweet.
Quality varies according to brands. I try to buy original ricotta sourced from good small producers. It tastes much better, and I like the consistency more.
Blueberry topping
This is, in theory, optional, but I can't stress enough how great the whole package (polenta cake and blueberry sauce) is. They complement each other, and the dense cake becomes mellower. It's an outstanding pair.
Depending on how I plan to serve it, I use the blueberry compote or the blueberry sauce.
The compote is juicier and more fluid because it doesn't have cornstarch, so the juice seeps into the cake like the images in this post. The sauce has a thicker syrup, and I use it when I want something similar to a cheesecake topping.
Do you have other berries? Use them. Raspberries and blackberries work well, though they can be very tangy, so you might want to add more sugar to the sauce. Sweet cherries also work.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Ricotta: it needs to be soft, curdled, and moist but without excess liquid. If it has too much water, drain it by placing it on a colander with a cheesecloth.
- Polenta: use the instant type as it will absorb liquid better.
- Mixing the batter: I use an electric hand-held mixer and a large mixing bowl, which makes the process easier, but you can also make this by hand with some arm muscle and a whisk. Or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but I find it too much of a hassle for this recipe.
- Pouring the cake mix: most of the time I don't care about a domed cake top, but if you pour the batter around the edges of the pan and let it reach the center on its own and not touch it, my experience is that the cake bakes more evenly, like the image below. It's not a foolproof method. It depends on how thin or thick the batter is, which can vary depending on the ricotta and honey you use.
- Variations: use lime or orange zest or even a mix of several citruses. Add ground spices such as cardamom for a different flavor profile.
Related recipes you might like:
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Lemon Polenta Ricotta Cake
Ingredients
For lemon polenta cake:
- ¾ cup polenta or yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup water or buttermilk
- ¾ cup 150g sugar
- ½ cup honey
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 8 tablespoons ½ cup or 115g unsalted butter, melted and cooled but not cold
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and in small pieces for top of the cake
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
For the blueberry sauce:
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
Instructions
For lemon polenta cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Line the bottom of a round 9-inch (24cm) springform pan (or springform cake tin) with parchment paper and spray or butter the sides of the pan.
- Mix polenta, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Beat ricotta and water until smooth in a large bowl with an electric mixer. If it's still somewhat curdled, don't worry.
- Add sugar, honey, and lemon zest and beat well.
- Gradually add melted butter and then add eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients in two or three additions, beating on low speed only until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the pan, dot the top with the tablespoon of chilled butter, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack and remove from the tin or pan onto a serving plate, and serve with the blueberry sauce. You can also sprinkle the top with powdered sugar (known as icing sugar in some countries) before serving if you like a sweeter cake.
For the blueberry sauce:
- Mix blueberries, lemon juice, and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes at medium heat, until syrupy and the berries are somewhat wrinkled.
- Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Notes
Adapted from Baking from my Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
Heidi Mitchell says
I think this is the first time I've ever eaten a polenta cake. This was so easy to make, and the blueberry sauce compliments the cake perfectly. It was delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!
Jb Bean says
I am a decent cook. Not a baker -- just sayin. I am also celiac for 28 years. Probably another reason I don't usually bake. But, frigid days in midwest, items i.e cottage cheese needing to be used.... I found this recipe. And yes it is easy. And boy did I substitute within reason. I visited Vienna last spring.... this is worthy of any world class Patisserie. I used chick pea flour instead of all-purpose... General rule about a 1/4 -1/2 than called for esp when not using a GF designed for baking mixed flour. I also used large curd cottage cheese (smashed up) drained to be more ricotta like, used the 'milk' from that and a splash of vinegar to make the 1/3 c of buttermilk. No lemons in house.... lemon extract to the rescue... only delicate splash. Seriously, you may snicker, -23 C windchill... wasnt going out for that last bit o honey.... topped off what I had of maple syrup to get to the 1/2 C honey. Set timer to check at 30 min... GF baked goods seem to be doughy or burn... But it looked good and could take the last 5 min. Popped off the spring form pan and thought uh-o crispy edges... Turns out the sugar honey combo in batter made a wonderful caramelized edge. Had only strawberries and paltry sum blueberrys for sauce. OMG!!!! Must have. Will totally do again. Maybe even w/o the crazy subs but for the Chick pea flour. GF folks... will so appreciated a delightful pastry. If I had it I would only add a dollop of whipped cream to top, for fun, look, and continued eye-rolling heaven.
Paula Montenegro says
You sure were resourceful with what you had! I'm amazed by all the subs and very happy it turned out so well! Have a great weekend.
Lauren says
Will semolina work in place of polenta?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lauren, it should work. The texture will be different, smoother probably as polenta is much coarser than semolina.
Alisa Infanti says
My husband is a huge polenta fan and went crazy for this cake! Thanks for sharing.
Anita says
I've never tried using polenta to bake a cake before, so thanks for sharing this recipe. The cake was delicious. Now I can't wait to try other cakes using polenta too. 🙂
Jen says
Easy to make GF because there isn't much flour. The polenta is the star of this recipe!
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
Lemon + Blueberry = my favorite flavor combination of all time. I'm practically licking my screen right now!
Cocoa and Lavender says
I am with you, Paula - cake plus lemon is my favorite combination. I loved the daisy cake but this sounds even better. And blueberries and lemon? I think we have discussed this before - sheer perfection! - David
Kathy says
I love polenta in baked goods. This cake looks wonderful…love the blueberry sauce just dripping over it! Gorgeous photos!!
Sunithi Selvaraj, RD says
Love this ! Never cooked with polenta before and this looks great !! Love the combo of blue berries. Great pics too !!
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
Your cake looks so delicious, especially with the blueberry sauce!