Recipe

Plum and lemon polenta cake

Nov 30, 1976 1:00pm
  • 1 hr 40 mins cooking
  • Serves 8
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Ingredients

Vanilla-poached plums
  • 16 small_piece ripe plums (1.2kg), halved, stones removed, each half cut into three wedges and remove pips
  • 1/2 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Plum and lemon polenta cake
  • 2/3 cup (110g) dry-roasted almonds
  • 1 1/3 cup (100g) shredded coconut
  • 3/4 cup (125g) fine polenta
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 225 gram salt-reduced butter, softened, chopped
  • 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) limoncello
  • 2 teaspoon icing (confectioners') sugar

Method

Plum and lemon polenta cake
  • 1
    Make first the vanilla-poached plums. Place ingredients in a medium heavy-based saucepan over low heat; cook, covered, shaking pan occasionally, for 10 minutes or until plums start to soften and release juice. Remove lid; cook a further 7 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, or until syrup reduces and thickens slightly. Cool.
  • 2
    Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 22cm springform pan; line base and side with baking paper.
  • 3
    Process almonds until finely ground. Combine ground almonds with coconut, polenta and baking powder in a medium bowl.
  • 4
    Beat butter, sugar and rind in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Fold in combined dry ingredients until mixture just starts to come together. Add limoncello; mix until just combined. Spread half the cake mixture into pan.
  • 5
    Drain 450g of the vanilla-poached plums; arrange plums evenly on cake mixture. Dollop remaining cake mixture over plums then gently spread to cover plums.
  • 6
    Bake cake for 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. To prevent over browing, cover the cake with baking paper for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Stand cake in pan 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
  • 7
    Place cake on plate; dust with icing sugar. Top cake with remaining plums and syrup.

Notes

Limencello is an Italian lemon liqueur from liquor stores; you could always use white rum instead. To make the removal of plum stones easier and to avoid bruising the fruit, use a melon baller. Keep in mind that the plums can be poached a day ahead; keep refrigerated. However, this cake is best made on day of serving.

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