Emelia Jackson’s Mini Lemon Thyme Polenta Cakes Recipe
Menu item
Serves 8 small cakes
Equipment
8-cavity round 5.5 cm (2 1/4 inch) silicone mould
Prep time
15m
Cook Time
18m
Mini Lemon Thyme Polenta Cakes recipe by Emelia Jackson, from her new book “You Had Me at Cake”.
These Mini Lemon Thyme Polenta Cakes by Emelia Jackson are a refined take on the classic pound cake, featuring beautifully rounded measurements and a tender crumb enriched with polenta.
Fragranced with lemon thyme, the cakes strike a perfect balance between citrus brightness and subtle herbal warmth, making them ideal for high tea or elegant entertaining. Adaptable and timeless, the recipe also works beautifully with rosemary or without herbs altogether.
Images and text from You Had Me at Cake photography by Armelle Habib, Murdoch Books RRP $39.99.
Ingredients:
- Oil spray, for greasing
- 250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 150 g (51/2 oz) polenta
- 190 g (63/4 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 21/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon thyme
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- Lemon thyme flowers, to garnish
- Rind of 1 lemon, peeled into thin strips, to garnish
Lemon glaze
- 150 g (51/2 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Spray an 8-cavity round 5.5 cm (2 1/4 inch) silicone mould with oil.
- Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and caster sugar for 3–4 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.
- Add the polenta, plain flour and baking powder and mix until just combined before adding in the lemon thyme and lemon zest and mixing to combine.
- Pour the batter into the moulds, filling them three-quarters full. Bake for 18–20 minutes or until the cakes are lightly golden brown and spring back when pressed lightly.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their moulds for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the lemon glaze, place the icing sugar in a mixing bowl and add just enough lemon juice to create a thick glaze; you want roughly the same consistency as thickened (heavy) cream.
- Place a tablespoon of the glaze over the top of each cake and let it run slowly down the sides before topping with lemon thyme flowers and a twist of peel to garnish.
- Let the cakes sit for 30 minutes to allow the glaze to crystallise before serving.
