Cakes & Bakes: Lemon & polenta berry squares

This week, I attempted a cake (or more rightly, a bake) that I’d not done before – lemon & polenta berry squares.

It’s taken from 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies & Other Tempting Treats. It turned out really well, the berries kept it lovely and moist and the polenta gave it a bit of a crunch.

Here’s the recipe:

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Lemon & polenta berry squares

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 175 g/6oz butter plus extra for greasing
• 175 g/6oz caster sugar
• 3 large eggs lightly beaten
• 100 g/3½oz ground almonds
• 150 g/5½oz polenta
• 2 tsp baking powder
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 300 g/10½oz frozen small berry fruits such as cranberries raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants (I used a mixture of bluberries and strawberries sliced in half)
• icing sugar to decorate

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a 23cm/9inch shallow square cake tin and line base with baking paper
• Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light & fluffy, then gradually beat the eggs into the mixture until smooth
• Add the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, lemon rind and juice and stir together until well mixed. Stir in the fruit of your choice
• Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread out evenly
  
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch
  
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
• Sift icing sugar lightly over to decorate and cut into squares