Lemon & Polenta Tea Cakes

Gluten and diary free tea cakes

My Grandparents as others baked with polenta and corn meal, as this was one of the bi-products of their land and quite simply what was readily available to everyone. Who would have known then that they were eating what we call today a gluten free diet!

Cakes were very dense and heavy, but as my father recounts "...when there was hunger everything tasted great." Now a days we substitute flour with almond meal, but I have never made cakes with polenta.

I came across a recipe that needed to be modified several times as I wasn't happy with the consistency and heaviness of what should have been 'light cakes'. I reduced the amount of polenta and increased the almond meal.

For those who are wheat and lactose intolerant, these are a delicious little treat with a cup of tea.

Ingredients:

90gr almond meal

50gr polenta (super fine)

40gr corn flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100gr castor sugar (super fine)

3 eggs

1/2 cup olive oil ( I found this to be too heavy, and recommend you substitute with vegetable oil)

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

Icing sugar (for dusting)

Method:

Beat eggs, oil and sugar until creamy. Add zest and juice of lemon. Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into small cake tins. Bake at 180c for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and dust with icing sugar. Decorate with fresh lemon rind.

Dust with icing sugar and decorate with fresh lemon rind

If you like more tang you can make a lemon curd and fill them!

Lemon Curd

6 large lemons

1 1/2 cups (375g) butter, cut

1 kg caster sugar

8 eggs, beaten

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and cut the rinds into thin strips.

Put the lemon juice, lemon rinds, butter, sugar and eggs into the top of a double sauce pan.

Place over very hot (not boiling) water and cook, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.

Pour the mixture through a strainer and discard the rind.

Return to a clean double sauce pan and cook over very hot water,stirring frequently,until the mixture is thick and smooth

Pour into warm sterilized jars and seal immediately. (Use within four months)

Enjoy!

Comments

Panzerotti /Tortelli di Castagne & Cioccolato (Chestnut & chocolate filled morsels)

When I think of chestnuts, I reminisce about my birth town - Domodossola, where I was first introduced to this distinctive flavoured nut. We were fortunate to live close to Sacro Monte Calvario, a mountain lined with chestnut trees. My mother cooked many dishes which used this flavorsome nut, especially sweets such as these panzerotti di castagne & cioccolato. Withthis sweet mamma has more recently substituted the chestnut filling with chickpeas as they are readily available all year round and knowing that my papa`enjoys this sweetmade frequently.

Chestnut season is a favourite for our whole family and we are of the belief that if you've never had a freshly roasted chestnut you haven't lived. We often visit Daylesford in country Victoria around autumn to purchase them fresh and enjoy them roasted at the farmers markets.

This recipe is a variation of panzerotti / tortelli di ceci which I have shared previously with you. The filling is more delicate in texture and lighter t…

Cucina Conversations: Rosette di Pane (Rosette Bread Rolls)

Rosette Soffiate, or puffed rosette rolls are probably one of the hardest bread types I have attempted to make. It has taken me many attempts and still cannot claim that I have achieved the hollow centre being 'the' inherent characteristic of this Italian panino. This month, our CucinaConversations topic is all about bread, and provides us with an opportunity to learn more about the many bread types found in the different regions of Italy. There are claims that there are over 350 types of bread in Italy, of which many are specific to their regions while others are more widespread and exist based around religious, utilitarian or prepared for celebrations.

This rosetta roll is ideal and typically used for fillings due to its hollow centre. In the Friuli-Venezia region of Italy, a region which borders Austria, rosette rolls are similar to Austrian bread, and have a soft, compact crumb. Like those in Austria, they are sprinkled with poppy seeds. Rosette rolls produced in Milan…

Cucina Conversations: Cassatelle Siciliane

Cassatelle are typical Sicilian pastries filled with lemon scented ricotta, and also known as cassateddi in Sicilian dialect. The name derives from the word cassata, and by adding the diminutive suffix ‘ella’ you get the word cassatella, a smaller individual serving. An assortment of these pastries can be found in different regions of Sicily and are considered traditional deserts for the Carnevale and Easter period. In researching this topic, I become enthralled by the history behind the most complex of cassate from Palermo through to these more simple-to-make pastries from Siracusa, and therefore could not help but share some of its history with you.
Sicily is known as the sweets centre of Italy, and it appears that the most colourful and famous cassatasiciliana in all its glory, is one of the reasons. It is believed to have originated in Palermo, made with sheep’s milk ricotta – at its richest and herbaceous during Spring; and containing other ingredients prevalent to the area suc…

The Heirloom Chronicles

Search This Blog