Gluten-free lemon, polenta and pistachio cakes: buttery and moist with a hint of texture thanks to polenta, nutty yet bright with citrus. Finished with a tart lemon glaze – you won’t be able to stop eating them! Jump to Recipe
I can’t look at these lemon, polenta & pistachio cakes without being transported back to my first day in London (a couple of months ago now – so cliche but time freaking FLIES). It was a camera-toting, 35,000 step walking kinda day – maximum sight-seeing and eating involved. I don’t know about you, but my personal tried and true methods (no actual evidence) of minimising jetlag on those 30 hour multi-stop flights and make the most of that first day off the plane are: grab a few hours sleep on route in the timezone you’re travelling into; arrive basically wrecked in the evening at your destination; immediately pop melatonin and sleep like the dead for a straight 12 hours. The next morning, add (in this case) an early bird coffee stop at Brooklyn coffee and a bowl of Ottolenghi’s bircher, studded with sesame brittle, swirls of tahini date sauce and dollops of roasted strawberries = jetlag cured.
Bowled over by the tiered sugary window display at Ottolenghi, I couldn’t leave without taking something for the road – an intriguing and sturdy lemon, polenta and pistachio cake. And trust me, I got countless envious (maybe curious, but I’m going with envious) looks from fellow tourists a few hours later when I plonked myself in the sun at the Tower of London to eat it. The rest of the day was a blur of wandering over various London bridges, gazing at views from the galleries of St Paul’s, and getting a mini Soho tour from Bec – dinner perched on stools at The Barbary, countless sneaked samples of that incredible silky dark hot chocolate from Whittards, and indulgent salted caramel doughnuts from Bread Ahead Bakery.
As you may know from my instagram, that was hardly the only time I indulged at Ottolenghi – there were salads eaten curbside at the Portobello Road Market, indulgent cinnamon coated berry french toast pre-Harry Potter, a smoky capsicum-tomato shakshuka topped with spoonfuls of labneh, and an intense dark chocolate cake with a tahini-caramel centre. Oh, and a huge summer-peach-berry-meringue-slice-thing. Yes, I’m sure I probably put on 5 kilos while I was away. Yes, I loved every single bite – no regrets there. And yes, I absolutely cannot wait until his new book comes out!!!
Anyway, I had to try and recreate those lemon polenta cakes. It took a couple of tries (hence the couple of different photo-shoots, and 2 different sets of loaf tins because on one occasion they stuck – sorry about the completely different lighting situations happening here), but to be perfectly honest – this version is even better than the real deal in London. Seriously. Those had a bit of crumbly-dryness that is completely eliminated here – just buttery, moist, citrus-y, tangy, nutty, bright cake. They’re also gluten free – it wasn’t my initial intention, but if you’re gluten intolerant or catering for someone with coeliac disease then they’re even more perfect!
Gluten-free lemon, polenta and pistachio cakes: buttery and moist with a hint of texture thanks to polenta, nutty yet bright with citrus. Finished with a tart lemon glaze, you won’t be able to stop eating them!
- 220 g unsalted butter
- 220 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs , room temperature
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 100 g ground almonds
- 70 g ground pistachio
- 150 g fine polenta
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- zest of 2 lemons
- juice of 1/2 -1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Extra coarsely chopped pistachios
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Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line eight mini loaf tins. I would recommend lining the base with baking paper - I tried just greasing and flouring but it was very tricky to get them out of the tins!
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the greek yogurt.
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Add the ground almonds and ground pistachios and mix gently for a few seconds. Add the fine polenta, baking powder and salt and fold in gently.
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Add the zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1/2-1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons total) and mix to just combine.
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Divide batter evenly between the loaf tins and smooth the surface.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted just comes out clean
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Leave to cool for 15 minutes before removing from tins to a wire rack.
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Turn the mini cakes upside down.
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Miix together icing sugar with lemon juice until it is a thick, smooth consistency. Err on the side of too thick - you can always add more lemon juice.
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Test it out on one of the cakes - it should dollop on top. Spread it to the edge with a knife or offset spatula, then it should drip gently down the sides.
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Repeat with the rest of the cakes. Sprinkle with extra chopped pistachios.
Yummmmmmm these look so good! I remember seeing them on your IG stories a while back and wondering what they were! That’s exactly how I manage jet lag too – when I worked on the rigs I did 3 weeks of nights then 3 weeks off, so had a full 12 hour time change every 3 weeks. You get good at it! Meal times at the new ‘normal’ time and trying not to nap always seems to help!
HOW excited are you for ottolenghi’s new book?! If for some reason it’s delayed in Australia coming out let me know and i’ll totes mail it to you hahahha
xx
Lololol never mind I just looked it up and it looks like it’s potentially released there tomorrow!?!
hahah I totally would have taken you up on that if the release here was delayed at all!! I am SO excited but also so frustrated that I have 6 weeks till exams and no time to bake…so so (so so x100) ready for the holidays and lots of time in the kitchen!
I am so regretting right now not going to Ottolenghi’s while I was there!! CRY CRY CRY.. Can’t wait for the book!! These little cakes look delightful.. love that there is ground up nuts in there.
oh my gosh devastating but you’ll be back I’m sure!! thanks Jenny xx
ahh, polenta cakes are amazing! they really give cakes a wonderful/unique texture, eh? bummed that i didn’t see these in ottolenghi the last time i went!
such a unique texture! my first batch was a bit of a fail – I think too heavy on the polenta and it was a bit overwhelming, but this version has a much better balance with the almond & pistachio meal as well.
ok, these are stunning. I’m mad that I’ve only followed you on Instagram and haven’t visited your actual blog yet. photos, writing, everything is just so YES. Killing it, lady.
aw thanks Kate!!! So glad I found you on instagram via Erin – love seeing your gorgeous cakes! xx
I have yet to make polenta cakes!! Been meaning too, thanks for the inspiration 🙂 . A must try!
Thanks Christiann, the polenta has really grown on me. I tried a version of lemon polenta cakes last year but they were a bit of a fail – too dry and too much polenta I think, whereas these have a better balance so you get a hint of polenta without choking on it lol
Hey! These look delicious! Just wondering if this would still work ok if it was cooked as one large cake?
Hi Georgie! I think it definitely would – I haven’t actually tried that myself but would use a 20cm round (8 inch) cake tin and be very careful with the cooking times as it will be completely different 🙂 let me know how it goes!
These are stunning. Can’t wait to try them.
Thank you! Would love to know what you think 🙂
I’m obsessed with these little cakes! From the flavor to the photos – it’s perfection. I wish I had one (and also that I was eating it in London;)
Thanks so much Sarah!! I wish I was back eating them in london too hahah! Are you going to London on your trip or just Paris?
those tourists were definitely envious (; (I WOULD HAVE BEEN/AM TOO). these look so moist (still waiting for someone to come up with a better word lol) and sound so flavorful, and i’m tempted to make them right now (even though i already made muffins this morning).
hahaha I like to think they were, rather than just staring at the crazy girl getting crumbs everywhere lol. and I’m so not scared of the word moist anymore – sometimes it’s just the best word to use haha!
Ottolenghi is the bible! I hear you on that. These are such gorgeous little cakes and look so delicious. Plus I’ll be scoring with my gluten-free friends. Can’t wait to try!
Thanks Cindy! I know, I’m not gluten free myself either but it is so handy to have a few amazing gluten-free recipes in your back pocket with the number of people avoiding gluten these days haha
Have any recommendations to make if baking in muffin molds/
These cakes look amazing Claudia! Baking them soon!
Thanks Diala, would love to know what you think!
Hi Claudia, this recipe is amazing and I am looking forward to trying it!
I am based in London where the only polenta available is the instant one, not good for cakes as it becomes rock solid in the oven. Can I replace it with cornmeal or anything else?
Hi Lou! Cornmeal and polenta are the same grain, just in varying degrees of coarseness. For this recipe instant polenta should actually work, but if you’e experienced it going rock solid in the oven then I would try blitzing cornmeal in a food processer/grinder to a slightly finer meal and use that.
Delicious cakes! The tempting pictures made it irresistible! Thanks for sharing the recipe! I have tried a large cake of this and it was wonderful! Now will go for the small luscious cakes!
Oh wonderful, so glad it turned out well! thanks for letting me know Celine! xx
These cakes are adorable. I would imagine the texture would be a little different from regular cake? Just wondering what brand of mini loaf pans you used?
The polenta does give it a more interesting texture for sure, but it’s not gritty at all. I use this set – it works well! http://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/Bakers-Secret-8Cup-Petite-Loaf-Pan
So I made them but in larger tins and about halfway thru cooking they fell and then they got really brown on the outside so I took them out and they fell apart.
Any advice?
Hmm I’m really not sure why that would have happened. What kind of tin did you use? That is probably the most likely culprit. I’ve made it in a 23cm round cake tin before which worked pretty well.
These look perfect for a birthday i have to attend on the weekend. I have to make a large batch though – to cater for 80 people. Do you think these will hold up if I baked them in a mini muffin tin without liners?
Hi Polly! I think they would hold up as mini muffins but I am not sure about without liners – I made them once in mini loaf tins without liners and a few of them stuck, so since then have always used a bit of baking paper or a liner. I just wouldn’t want you to make a whole batch and have them all stick, that’s all! Hope that helps, would love to hear how it goes.
These look lovely, I’d definitely love to trie them. I don’t have small tins though, have you ever tried making them in a larger cake tin? If yes, what size would you use and how would that affect cooking times?
P.S.: And do you use instant polenta (the 5-min one) oder normal polenta (the kind that cooks 30 min)?
Hi Merle! yes you can make them in a larger cake tin – I’ve also made them in a full size loaf tin. If using a round cake tin, use a 23cm round tin and I imagine it would take around 40-45 minutes to cook, but I would keep an eye on them and use a cake tester to get them out when a skewer comes out just clean.
I use a fine ground polenta (fine cornmeal, the type that takes 30 min or so to cook) but have also used instant polenta successfully. Just make sure it’s not a very coarse one. Hope that helps!
Looks so yummy. Can you put the measurements in pounds and ounces please?
Hi Joan! Sorry I can’t provide pounds and ounces for all the recipes, but you can use an online calculator to convert it yourself. Sorry about that!
Hi there can the lemon pistachio polenta recipe be cooked as one large loaf? If so will the cook time differ?
Thanks!!
Hi Sally! Yes it definitely can and will take a little longer to cook – it will depend on how big your loaf tin is but I would keep an eye on it from 30min onwards.
Hi! I made this recipe today, but baked it as one big cake and it is SO DELICIOUS and worked very well!
Took 40 mins in my oven, and I skipped the icing and made a Lemon syrup to go on top instead. Truly a 10/10 recipe, thank you!