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
Deb says
You know I adore lemon! A compelling and vibrant dessert!
In the U.S. there are no Easter holidays, only spring break for students. So enjoy!
Amanda says
I've made a caramel polenta cake from Dorie that was out of this world. I'm sure this adaptation is also exceptional.
Liz Berg says
Oh, this looks like one fantastic cake, Paula! And the blueberry sauce is a gorgeous topping. Happy, happy Easter!!! xo
ahu says
Paula - this is beautiful, I adore polenta! Happy Easter!
Soni says
Oh you've posted the perfect recipe for me to try!I have yellow cornmeal sitting in my pantry for far too long and now I know exactly what I'm going to do with it!The blueberry lemon combo sounds wonderful!!Gorgeous pics too 🙂
german in pdx says
Paula, this cake is beyond amazing. I will need to make a special batch of my vegan ricotta to give your polenta cake a try. I also love polenta in every form and have never thought that it could be used for a cake. Thank you and Happy Easter to you 🙂 ~ Bea
Karen Hartzell (@InTheKitchenKP) says
WOW! I have never made a polenta cake, but now I must! Esp when you throw in two of my favorite flavors of lemon and blueberry! Happy Sunday, Paula!
Kate@Diethood says
Every time I come by here, I drool... I absolutely love, love, looooove this cake!! Gorgeous photos, Paula.
Happy Easter, my friend!! xo
yummychunklet says
I love the sauce! Yum!
Angie Schneider says
Looks heavenly with berry sauce!!
Sherron Watson says
I have never tried a polenta cake before but I think I would love yours. Lemon and Blueberries together just marry together nicely in any dish.
Katy says
I've been looking for a good polenta cake recipe and this one sounds absolutely divine! And I'm with you on the lemon+cake=happy 🙂
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says
I love Polenta cakes...and I know they go perfectly with lemon. Plus, blueberry and lemon are totally best buds, so this sounds like it may be the PERFECT cake! Beautiful, Paula.
Cathleen says
Paula, that look delicious and your photos are stunning. I love your cake box. Have a wonderful Easter.
Cher Rockwell says
Polenta is really lovely in cakes and I really like what you did here. Beautiful job, Paula!
Jen @JuanitasCocina says
I have always wanted to make a polenta cake. I should just come over and you can feed me some of this instead!
Renee says
Recently I tackled making my first olive oil cake and the next on my list is a polenta cake. Seeing your absolutely beautiful cake inspires me to move it up on the to-do list. Wow Paula. It's really stunning.
Jamie says
I have also wanted to make a polenta cake for the longest time! This one looks perfection and fabulous with the blueberry sauce! I just imagine that blueberries must be the best with the polenta and the lemon. Gorgeous and mouthwatering!
Montse {Rhu and Sam} says
Tengo ganas de experimentar con polenta, no es un ingrediente muy común aquí 😉 thanx for the recipe!
The Ninja Baker says
I've made polenta cake with apples and walnuts before but lemon and ricotta is an intriguing mix. I love both ingredients so why not?
And with your breezy, easy invite and recipe to pour blueberry sauce over the cake, stick some flowers in a vase, I'm ready to put my feet up and enjoy a piece! Oh right, I need to bake it first. Well, at least I've got your stellar recipes now.