Can I Make The Lemon Polenta Cake With An Alternative To Almonds?

Our answer

Nigella's Lemon Polenta Cake (from KITCHEN) is a gluten-free cake that is made with a combination of ground almonds (almond meal) and polenta. It is soaked with a lemon syrup once it has baked and has a moist and crumbly texture.

If your daughter is allergic to tree nuts then we were wondering if she can eat peanuts as they are legumes rather than tree nuts. If this is the case then unsalted and unroasted peanuts (without skins) would be a possible alternative as they don't have a particularly strong flavour. If you need to grind the nuts yourself in a food processor then we suggest grinding them with some of the polenta, as this can help to reduce the risk of the nuts becoming too oily as you grind them. Unfortunately if she can't eat any nuts then it is difficult to suggest a replacement, as the oil in the nuts are needed to give moisture to the cake. If the cake doesn't need to be gluten-free then you could try the Thyme And Lemon Bundt Cake and this can be baked in a 20cm/8-inch square pan as well as a bundt pan. The instructions for baking the cake in a square pan are at the bottom of the recipe page.