Blackcurrants add tart fruit to a tender lemon cake made with fine polenta and ground almonds. The grains give a delicate texture without making the cake heavy.
Ingredients
- 100g Ground almonds
- 100g Fine polenta
- 100g Self-raising flour
- 150g Caster sugar
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1, finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice Lemon
- 160ml Unsweetened plant drink
- 90ml Rapeseed oil
- 140g, stalks removed Blackcurrants
- 40g, for a light lemon drizzle Icing sugar
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin. Mix the ground almonds, polenta, flour, caster sugar and baking powder in a bowl.
- Whisk the lemon zest, plant drink, rapeseed oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice together. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold just until combined.
- Fold in two-thirds of the blackcurrants. Spoon the batter into the tin, level it, then scatter the remaining berries over the top.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top should spring back lightly when pressed.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer carefully to a rack and cool completely.
- Mix the icing sugar with enough of the remaining lemon juice to make a thin drizzle. Spoon it over the cooled cake and let it set for 10 minutes before cutting.
Allotment tip
Use fine polenta rather than coarse maize meal for a soft crumb. If the currants are frozen, add them without thawing and bake straight away.
Ingredient swaps
Use redcurrants or blueberries in place of blackcurrants. Ground almonds contain nuts and should not be swapped with flour unless you are prepared to retest the cake texture.
Allergens: Almonds (tree nuts) and wheat (gluten). Check the plant drink label for any additional allergens.
Storing leftovers
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Freeze slices if you want to keep portions longer.