Lemon and Polenta Cupcakes

From 5 Ways With … Take one ingredient and create five fantastic family meals by Christelle Le Rue, published by HarperCollins

I use instant polenta to make these little cakes. Be aware, though, that polenta’s fine grainy texture, as well as the ground almonds, make the cakes crumbly, so wait until they are completely cool before removing them from their tins.

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 240g butter
• 200g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200g ground almonds
• 150g polenta
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large lemons

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan bake. Grease a mini-muffin tin.

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs.

Fold the ground almonds into the mixture. Add the polenta and the baking powder, and mix well. Mix in the zest of the lemons and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Spoon this mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, remove the cupcakes from the tin and enjoy.

John Hawkesby’s Wine Recommendation

Dessert Wine
Muddy Water Sugar Daddy Riesling 2008