Perfect for tea: Make this pistachio-lemon polenta cake
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This lemon-flavoured cake is gluten-free and keeps well overnight.
PHOTO: LINDA XIAO/NYTIMES
Melissa Clark
- Benjamina Ebuehi’s pistachio-lemon polenta cake adds preserved lemon for a complex, salty flavour twist rooted in Italian and North African traditions.
- Pistachios replace almond flour, giving the cake a rich texture, while polenta provides a rustic, gritty bite balanced by a lemon glaze.
- The recipe uses olive oil for savouriness and a tangy white icing inspired by British lemon drizzle cake, perfect for serving with tea.
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NEW YORK – A lemony polenta cake, the kind of thing that is fancy enough to feel like an occasion, yet simple enough to whip up on a whim, is rooted in Italian tradition.
I have baked more versions than I can count. But British cookbook author and food stylist Benjamina Ebuehi’s take – from her cookbook I’ll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes For Every Occasion (2024) – has made me rethink them all. Along with the expected shower of lemon zest, she stirs in a hefty dose of minced preserved lemon.