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Home » Recipes » Desserts & Treats

Lemon Polenta Cake

Published: Mar 29, 2021 · Modified: Feb 7, 2022 by Angela Allison · This post may contain affiliate links.

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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.

Lemon Polenta Cake on a white plate.

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.

Lemon Polenta Cake on a plate with blueberries.

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.

Lemon polenta cake on a white plate with a fork.

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.

cornmeal and almond flour whisked together in a bowl.

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.

lemon zested into a bowl of the batter.

Use a microplane to zest a lemon into the batter. This should yield about 1 ½ tablespoons of zest total. Then stir in the lemon zest along with the dry ingredients.

cornmeal and almond flour folded into the batter.

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

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.

Lemon Polenta Cake with lemon glaze.

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.

Lemon Polenta Cake on a white plate with blueberries.

Gluten-Free Desserts

Lemon polenta cake is a great dessert to make for anyone who is gluten 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!

Lemon Polenta Cake on a white plate.

Lemon Polenta Cake

Light and moist lemon polenta cake is a simple to make treat that's perfect with a cup of hot coffee. Naturally gluten-free lemon cake.
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 367kcal
Author: Angela Allison
Cost: 6-8

Equipment

  • 9 inch cake pan

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup almond flour (185 grams)
  • ¾ cup cornmeal (125 grams)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (one and a half sticks)
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest (from one lemon)

Lemon Glaze

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, use a hand held mixer to beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about two minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest and then stir in the dry ingredients.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and use a spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes on the center rack. You will know the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Cool on a wire baking rack for 10 minutes. Then, use a butter knife to losen the edges of the cake from pan. Remove to wire rack and let cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

  • For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Video

Notes

This is a great cake to make ahead. Simply refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze in an airtight container for up to a month. 
  • To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute vegan butter. 

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 507IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 1mg
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Lemon Polenta Cake

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Comments

  1. panicum

    February 07, 2022 at 11:23 am

    I would suggest not calling this cake dairy free. It uses butter. It would be nice if you included an oil substitution for the butter. The recipe is very tempting.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Angela Allison

      February 07, 2022 at 2:25 pm

      I am so sorry for the oversight on my part. I have modified the text to indicate that this recipe is not dairy free. To make it dairy free, I suggest substituting vegan butter or coconut oil. Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Mim

    October 10, 2021 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe, can’t wait to try it. Only place I might come unstuck is that I’m not sure what 3/4 cups butter is in grams!

    Reply
    • angelakallison

      October 10, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      It’s 170 grams. enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Beth

    May 11, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve never made a cake with polenta before and it turned out great! My daughter and hubby loved it! Definitely making this cake again!

    Reply
  4. Tara

    May 11, 2021 at 3:23 pm

    5 stars
    Such a beautiful cake! I love how it is naturally gluten free. Definitely perfect for pairing with a cup of coffee. Yum!

    Reply
  5. Kathryn

    May 11, 2021 at 2:45 pm

    5 stars
    I love polenta and lemon desserts so I know I’ll love this. It looks amazing and so moist! Thank you so much for the recipe.

    Reply
  6. Kim at Three Olives Branch

    May 11, 2021 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    Yummmm this was so amazing! Loved all of the fresh lemon flavor in such a fun and easy cake.

    Reply
    • angelakallison

      May 11, 2021 at 7:22 pm

      So happy you liked it!

      Reply
  7. Kate

    May 11, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    I really love traditional Italian polenta cakes, and this one with lemon sounds perfect – definitely baking this soon!

    Reply
  8. pauline

    March 30, 2021 at 9:02 am

    Great cake love the lemon and moist thank you

    Reply
  9. Michelle

    March 30, 2021 at 6:51 am

    5 stars
    Love how this cake is gluten-free — always looking for more gluten-free treats to make for my Mom!

    Reply
  10. Bintu | Budget Delicious

    March 30, 2021 at 6:44 am

    5 stars
    This sounds like such a delicious treat! Lemon is such a great flavour all year round.

    Reply
  11. Jill

    March 30, 2021 at 6:40 am

    5 stars
    This cake was so lemony and delicious. Plus a cinch to make. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  12. Jess

    March 30, 2021 at 6:39 am

    5 stars
    I love all things lemon, wish I was eating another slice right now!

    Reply
  13. Pam

    March 30, 2021 at 6:39 am

    5 stars
    Oh this looks just great, and a bonus that it’s gluten free also.

    Reply

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Photo of Angela Allison from This Delicious House.

Hi there, I'm Angela!

I’m a wife, mother of three, and lover of simple and delicious make-ahead food!

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