Name: Italian lemon cake
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 9
Ingredients: 250g butter, softened, plus extra for the tin; 250g caster sugar; 3 eggs; 100g polenta; 250g ground almonds; 1 tsp baking powder; 3 Amalfi lemons or large lemons zested, 1 juiced (see below); crème fraîche, to serve; 1 Amalfi lemons or large lemons; 3 tbsp caster sugar

250g butter
softened, plus extra for the tin
250g caster sugar
3 eggs
100g polenta
250g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
3 Amalfi lemons or large lemons
zested, 1 juiced (see below)
crème fraîche
to serve

SYRUP

1 Amalfi lemons or large lemons
3 tbsp caster sugar

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin. Use electric beaters to whip the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
step 2
Add the eggs one by one, beating between each. Fold in the polenta, ground almonds and baking powder, then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Spoon into the tin and smooth the surface.
step 3
Bake for about 50 minutes-1 hour until the cake is risen and golden (cover the top loosely with foil after 30 minutes to stop it browning too much). Cool in the tin.
step 4
For the syrup, pare thin strips of peel from the final lemon, trim any pith and cut the peel into thin matchsticks (or use a zester).
step 5
Juice the lemon and put in a small pan with the sugar and 3 tbsp water. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then simmer for a minute. Add the sliced peel and leave to cool.
step 6
Put the cake on a plate, drizzle over the lemon syrup and zest and leave to soak in. Serve with crème fraîche, if you like.