Lemon Polenta Cake | Italian Cornmeal Cake

Lemon Polenta Cake is a deliciously moist and naturally gluten free lemon cake that’s super simple to make. This Italian-inspired dessert is great served with a hot cup of coffee for dessert, breakfast, or a midday treat.

If you are looking for a simple and elegant dessert recipe, then you are going to love this lemon polenta cake. Made with almond flour, cornmeal, eggs, and drizzled with a lemony glaze, this is the perfect treat for any occasion.

This cake comes together quick too: all that is needed is a hand mixer and a cake pan. If you don’t have a cake pan, feel free to use a springform or a square baking pan instead.

Also, this lemon polenta cake is a great make-ahead treat. You can make and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze in an airtight container for up to two months.

This is a tasty treat to serve at breakfast or brunch too. Moreover, it’s not too sweet and has the perfect balance of flavor and texture. Anyone who tries it, loves it!

If you love lemony Italian desserts, be sure to try my fan favorites:

Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake: a light and fluffy cake that sure to be your new favorite way to make lemon cake.

Lemon Amaretti Cookies: crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, this gluten-free cookies are made with almond flour and lemon zest.

Limoncello Tiramisu: a fun take on traditional tiramisu, you’re going to love this bright take on an Italian classic.

Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake: deliciously moist pound cake made with lemons and ricotta cheese, it’s great for any occasion.

Lemon Polenta Cake Recipe

This traditional Italian polenta cake recipe is a moist and delicate dessert or breakfast treat that comes together fast. With just a few ingredients, you can have this lemon polenta cake in no time.

For this recipe you will need: cornmeal, almond flour, baking powder, salt, lemon, eggs, butter, sugar, and powdered sugar. Simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.

Firstly, whisk together the cornmeal, almond flour, baking powder and salt.

Then, use a handheld mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. You want to mix it until it becomes light and fluffy, and slightly pale in color. This should take about two minutes. Then, add in the eggs one a time, mixing in between each addition.

Use a microplane to zest a lemon into the batter. This should yield about 1 1/2 tablespoons of zest total. Then stir in the lemon zest along with the dry ingredients.

Lastly, pour the batter into a cake pan that’s been coated in nonstick cooking spray and lined with parchment. The batter will be thick, so you’ll need to use a rubber spatula to spread it into the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Lemon Glaze for Lemon Polenta Cake

The glaze for the cake is simple and only requires two ingredients: powdered sugar and lemon juice. Remember that lemon you zested earlier, use the juice from that for this simple glaze.

In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. You want the mixture to be thick but pourable. Once the cake is completely cooled, drizzle the glaze overtop.

However, if you wanted to skip the glaze, you could always dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. This cake is also delicious served with a side of berries.

Gluten-Free Desserts

Lemon polenta cake is a great dessert to make for anyone who is gluten or dairy sensitive. Because it uses cornmeal and almond flour instead of traditional flour, it’s a safe choice for those avoiding gluten.

Here are some other delicious gluten-free desserts and treats that will make even gluten eaters happy!

Almond Flour Apple Cake

Amaretti Cookies

Italian Almond Chocolate Cookies

Blueberry Banana Oat Bars

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies

And remember, you can make whatever treats you want using gluten-free flour. Oat flour is also a great substitute for traditional flour in a pinch.

I hope you love this lemon polenta cake. Be sure to comment below if you try it. Enjoy!