Lemon Polenta Loaf - gluten free cake from our social enterprise supporting homeless people

I've been trying for ages to find a great gluten free recipe that we can use in our Friday bakery workshops for people who have experienced homelessness. What I really like about it is the opportunity to teach the group how to make a cake without using flour (even without gf flour!)

I work as Head Baker for Rise Bakery - a social enterprise selling amazing brownies and cakes online. We post them out to you too - check us out at http://ift.tt/1SzS40E

We made this today and had a lot of fun. We used mini silicon loaf moulds, but this recipe is for a larger loaf tin. Enjoy!

Simon’s Citrus Polenta

350g butter

350g caster sugar

5 large eggs

200g coarse polenta

425g ground polenta

2 tsp baking powder

3 finely grated zest and juice of a large orange

For the syrup:

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Juice and zest of 2 oranges

200g granulated caster sugar

100ml of water

Oven temperature - 160C

1.  Use a loaf tin 30cm long and 11cm wide (or thereabouts), grease with butter and line with baking paper 
   

2.  Beat the butter and sugar in a food mixer until light and fluffy. 
   

3.  Add one egg at a time and keep beating until the mixture is of one consistency 
   

4.  Mix the coarse polenta, ground almonds and baking powder together, before adding to the butter mix. 
   

5.  Then add the orange zest and juice. 
   

6.  Pour the mix into the loaf tin. Bake it in the middle of the oven for about an hour and 20 minutes. 
   

7.  To make the syrup put all the ingredients in a pan and warm gently on the hob for 10 min. 
   

8.  Then bring it to the boil (and then watch closely) when the bubbles on the top have doubled in size take of the heat and leave on the side. 
   

9.  When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in it using a toothpick or similar object. 
   

10. Warm up the syrup and pore over the cake.

11. Leave the cake to cool overnight before serving

bon appetit