Lemon Cheese Polenta Cakes
This quick cake recipe with a cream cheese and lemon filling is like a small Italian cheesecake. It’s perfect for afternoon tea and is also gluten-free!
Lemon Cheese Polenta Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 90 g 3oz unsalted butter
- 60 g 2oz caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 90 g 3oz coarse polenta (found in most supermarkets)
- 90 g 3oz ground almonds
- 6 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 tbsp lemon curd
- 10 patty tins lined with small squares of Bakewell paper
Instructions
- Set the oven to Gas Mark 3 or 160°C. Pare strips of rind from the lemon and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then mix in the polenta, ground almonds and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Roll into a cylinder and cut into 10 slices. Roll each portion into a ball, put in the cases and make a thumb-mark depression in each. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden. Leave in the tins for 10 mins. Cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, cut the lemon parings into fine shreds. Put 2 tbsp sugar with 3 tbsp cold water in a small pan and simmer until the sugar dissolves, then add the lemon shreds and cook for 4 mins until just softening. Leave in the syrup to cool.
- Soften the cheese and beat in the lemon curd. Put spoonfuls of lemon cheese on each cake and decorate with lemon strands.
Notes
Polenta can vary in texture. the coarse is slightly gritty, so if you prefer, use medium, but not the fine, as this will make the cakes dry
