Full question
I made the Lemon Polenta Cake and unfortunately it wasn't the homerun I hoped it would be. So pretty. Beautiful crumb. Smelled wonderful. But with the syrup it was too sweet for us. Can you suggest a way to reduce the sweetness? Many thanks. I am anxious to make it again. Not a giver-upper. It's too lovely not to get in the oven again. (PS I work in cups.)
Our answer
Nigella's Lemon Polenta Cake (from KITCHEN) is a gluten-free cake made with polenta and ground almonds (almond meal). The cake is flavoured with lemon zest and after baking the cake has a lemon syrup poured over, helping to make it more moist.
We usually find that the lemon syrup is a balance of sweet-sharp and we just wonder if the lemons used were on the smaller side. We usually expect a lemon to yield around 1/4 cup (60ml) of juice, so for the syrup you would need at least 1/2 cup (125ml) of lemon juice. If this is already the amount of lemon juice being used then you could reduce the sugar slightly, by 1-2 tablespoons (by 10-20g). But we would suggest then tasting the syrup before you use it to make sure that it is not too acidic. As it is confectioners' (icing) sugar, which dissolves easily, you can always stir in a little extra, if needed.
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