This is one of my go-to desserts. I’ve adapted it from something I’ve had at the wonderful River Cafe in London. The original version has more drama: it’s much larger and made in a very wide cake tin. This version is cozier and more scaled to a small dinner.
The raspberries are my own twist, and I think they add a nice acidic contrast to the sweetness of the cake.
I don’t think this cake needs any additional sauce or adornment. If I were going to do anything, I’d serve this with a dollop of crème fraîche.
This is also an excellent incidentally gluten-free dessert.
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 g sugar
- 100 g (about 2) eggs
- 150 g almond flour
- 1 lemon, zest and juiced
- 75 g polenta flour
- 3 g baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 100 g raspberries
Method
Preheat an oven to 160 °C (325 °F).
Line a 20 cm (8") cake tin with a parchment round on the bottom.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar. It should be a light, pale mixture.
Then add the eggs, and stir them just to break up the eggs and begin to combine them with the butter and sugar.
Add the almond flour plus the lemon zest and juice, and mix until the mixture is roughly uniform. Then add the polenta flour, baking powder, and salt, again mixing until the mixture is uniform. With a spatula, fold the raspberries into the mixture by hand.
Pour the batter into the lined cake tin. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. It should be nicely browned and a cake tester should come out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan to room temperature before serving.