Use Your Nut

For a while now, I have been interested in flourless baking. I have no medical reason to omit gluten or wheat from my diet, but am just simply mesmerised by the vast array of nut, rice and grain flours available on the supermarket shelves. So, when I stumbled upon this Lemon Polenta cake from Nigella, I just had to try it out for myself.

I have baked her traditional lemon drizzle cake more times than I can actually remember and have adapted it using all types of citrus fruit and incorporating it in some delicious desserts. I was therefore very curious how substituting the flour with ground almonds and polenta will change this firm favourite of mine, and got to baking it as soon as it was nap time for a certain someone :)

It felt a bit strange not adding flour to the cake and for the life of me, I could not imagine that this was going to work. How wrong was I? The cake came out beautifully risen, golden brown and as light as a feather. With my first bite, I knew that there is no going back to the traditional recipe. It's moist, intensely lemony and has the most incredible texture, it just melts in your mouth! Topped with gorgeous, dark purple Turkish figs and huge dollops of Crème fraiche it truly is Heaven on a plate.

This may have been my first, rather safe adventure into the wonderful world of flourless baking, but I will be heading to the supermarket very soon to try out Buckweat flour, Gram flour, Brown Rice flour, Xantham Gum, Rye grain, Spelt grain, kibbled wheat... I could go on, but I have to run before the shops close!!!!