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Gluten free chocolate polenta cake
1 hour 25 min
Polenta (fine cornmeal) is wonderful for gluten free baking. Polenta cakes - especially those with ground almonds as well - can have a tendency to be a bit close-textured/solid. Not so with this recipe! Folding in the separated whipped egg whites ensures a lovely light crumb.
16 people made this
Ingredients
Makes: 1 (9 inch) round cake
- For the cake
- 170g dark baking chocolate
- 170g ground almonds
- 115g polenta
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 4 large eggs, separated (62-68g each when weighed in shell)
- 225g soft light brown sugar
- 250g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules, mixed in 2 tablespoons boiling water
- For the whipped cream topping
- 300ml double cream
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 4 to 6 tablespoons icing sugar (to taste)
- dark baking chocolate, finely grated
Method
Prep:25min ›
Cook:1hr ›
Ready in:1hr25min
- Preheat oven to 180 C / 160 C Fan / Gas 4. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9 or 10 inch (23 or 25cm) diameter springform cake tin and line the bottom with parchment, ensuring it's large enough to cover the join of the ring.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water – make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir and set aside to cool slightly.
- Stir the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder and spices in a small bowl with a fork.
- Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high speed as the colour and texture change. ('Soft peaks' mean when you turn off the beaters and lift them up, the peaks formed fall over after 1-2 seconds.)
- Beat the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy (no need to clean the beaters from the whites). Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating at medium speed all the while until fully incorporated. Pour in the melted chocolate, and coffee mixture, and fold manually.
- Fold in the dry ingredients – it'll help to add 1/3 of the egg whites to loosen the mixture. Add the rest of the whites, folding gently, until no white lumps or streaks remain. Dollop the batter into your prepared tin and smooth the top.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, turning the tin halfway through for even baking. When a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Turn out the cake after about 20 minutes and allow to fully cool (1 hour in total).- Whip the double cream to stiff peaks, adding the cocoa powder and a few tablespoons of icing sugar until it's at your preferred level of sweetness.
Smooth the whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake with a palette knife.
Grate over some dark chocolate.
Dust with some extra icing sugar.
Slice and serve.
Tip
You could just dust the cooled cake with icing sugar; and/or sprinkle with almond flakes.
