Strawberry Polenta Cake with Strawberry & Black Pepper Sauce

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 cup butter

  at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup fine polenta

  or finely ground cornmeal (see note)
• 7 oz blanched almonds

  (~1.25 cups) (see note for pre-ground substitution)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 5 oz strawberries

  thinly sliced
• 1 lb strawberries

  hulled and halved
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns

  coarsely ground (see note)

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
• 2 Line an 9 inch cake pan (or spring-form pan) with parchment paper, and grease
  the sides with a bit of butter.
• 3 Grind the almonds with a food processor (or spice grinder, or blender) until
  they form an even, somewhat coarse crumb. Set aside.
• 4 Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
• 5 Combine the ground almonds, corn meal, baking powder, and salt. Mix about 1/3 of
  the mixture into the butter and sugar, followed by one egg. Repeat with the
  remaining dry ingredients and eggs, mixing thoroughly as you go.
• 6 Fold the lemon zest and sliced strawberries into the batter.
• 7 Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 50 minutes.
• 8 Check the doneness of the cake - a cake tester or toothpick should emerge fairly
  clean, and the sides should have browned and pulled away from the cake pan
  somewhat. If the cake isn't quite set enough, return it to the oven for 5
  minutes or so.
  
  Note that this cake might a bit soft and jiggly even when fully cooked, as the
  lack of wheat flour gives it less structure than a conventional cake.
• 9 Set the finished cake on a rack to cool, but leave it in the tin. Prepare the
  strawberry and black pepper sauce while the cake cools.
• 10 Place all of the ingredients in a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium
  heat. Stir to keep things from scorching.
• 11 Cook the mixture until the strawberries are very soft (about 10 minutes). Remove
  from heat and pour into a strainer to separate the solids from the syrupy
  strawberry/lemon juice. You'll use the juice to brush the cake (see 'To Serve'
  below).
• 12 Prick the surface of the cake all over with a cake tester or small skewer.
• 13 Brush about 1/2 cup of the the warm strawberry syrup over the top of the cake.
  Allow the cake to cool again. Mix any remaining syrup back in with the
  strawberries.
• 14 Gently remove the cooled cake from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature,
  topped with strawberry and black pepper sauce. Dust with a little icing sugar,
  if you like.

Nutrition Info