It's a Cake

For a long time, I’ve been wanting to bake a cake.  It was baking that really made me want to cook.  When I was younger, baking was so incredibly fashionable, and, obviously the young impressionable girl I was, I bought into it whole-heartedly.  At school we’d take the train to London simply for the Hummingbird Bakery’s red velvet cupcakes.  When I was in New York the only place I insisted we visit was the magnolia bakery.  I devoured the baking books from both these institutions, and soon was obsessed with that feeling of presenting people you loved with something you’d made, and enjoy it with them.

That feeling soon came to be joined with all the things I made; there were cakes, brownies and biscuits, and later bread, stews, soups, casseroles and pies.  At some point along the line I realised it wasn’t just that feeling I was looking for anymore, it was simply a love for cooking.  It doesn’t matter who I’m cooking for, and I’ll take as much pleasure from cooking for a group of friends than a solitary supper, it’s the cooking, and of course the eating, that makes me happiest now.  Of course it still feels nice to place a meal in front of friends and family that they really enjoy, but I’ve moved on from being a feeder, to being a cook.

But it has been too long since I baked a cake.  I’ve been trying to avoid eggs, as since I moved to London we haven’t really got on with each other.  But my flat has been really lacking in a cake to snack on, and I've decided that as long as I steer clear of too much raw cake mixture, things will be fine.

It is strange, however, how, since not having cake in so long it’s not the sweet stodgy cupcakes I’m after.  I want something that’s a little more, well, savoury.  I’m not about to bake a broccoli cake (although there is one in Breakfast, Lunch, Tea that I’ve been eyeing up for some time now) but something with lemon, pistachio and polenta made my mouth water just enough to convince me to bake it.

I like to make my cakes by hand, with a wooden spoon.  I don’t know why, but I always have.  I think the nerd in me just like to watch everything going on, or maybe it’s just a mild arm ache makes me feel entitled to more cake.  I have nothing against mixers, but the one in the cupboard remains untouched. I also like to beat my butter before adding the sugar, but I’m not sure if this makes any difference at all, it’s just something I do.

Just one more note on the cake; if made in a big tin, it has a tendency to sink in the middle.  I’d recommend using two 6x4 inch loaf tins.  Or eight of the little 2.5x6 inch ones, if you happen to have them lying around.  Plus, this cake seems to get better with a little age.  I think it's better on the second day, and it will stay good for around five days - it's a very moist cake, so it's nice to have around the house.  Perhaps a little dangerous if you live on your own...

Lemon and Pistachio Polenta Cake

Serves 8-10

500g unsalted butter

450g caster sugar

the zest of four lemons

the juice of one lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 eggs

400g ground almonds

240g polenta

150g coursly ground pistachios

2 tsp baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 160°C

Line your chosen baking tins with greaseproof paper.

Cream butter and sugar until they’re very pale

Add lemon zest, juice and vanilla extract

Add eggs, one at a time, with lots of beating in between each one

In a separate bowl, mix polenta, almonds, pistachios, baking powder and salt, and then fold gently into the egg mixture.

Spoon into tins (it should be very thick) and bake for 35-40 minutes for little tins, around an hour for bigger ones, or until a knife comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins until completely cool.

Ice with lemon fondant and scatter chopped pistachios on top.