Name: Lemon polenta cake with cardamom syrup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 320.00 g butter soft; 200.00 g castor sugar; 6.00 eggs large; 10.00 ml vanilla essence; 3.00 lemons zest only; 50.00 ml lemon juice; 240.00 g maize meal fine polenta; 25.00 ml Baking powder; 325.00 g castor sugar; 10.00 cardamom pods, bruised; 50.00 ml lemon juice; 50.00 g almonds slivered, toasted

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (12)

320.00 g	butter — soft
200.00 g	castor sugar
6.00	eggs — large
10.00 ml	vanilla — essence
3.00	lemons — zest only
50.00 ml	lemon juice
240.00 g	maize meal — fine polenta
25.00 ml	Baking powder

SYRUP

325.00 g	castor sugar
10.00	cardamom — pods, bruised
50.00 ml	lemon juice
50.00 g	almonds — slivered, toasted

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Method:

Cream the butter and the sugar until light.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla essence, lemon rind and lemon juice.
Fold in the sifted flour, polenta and baking powder until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into a greased 20 cm diameter cake tin and bake at 180 °C for 40 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160 °C and bake for a further 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

SYRUP
While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup: place the sugar, cardamom pods, lemon juice and 475 ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then allow to simmer, stirring frequently for 20 minutes, or until the syrup has reduced by half.
Allow to cool until lukewarm, then strain the syrup and discard the cardamom pods.
Remove the cake from the oven and make several pricks with a skewer all over the surface.
Pour half the syrup over the cake. Allow to stand for 30 minutes to allow the syrup to be absorbed.
Remove the cake from the tin and cut into squares or slices. Drizzle with the remaining syrup and top with toasted almonds.