When the hugely talented Sabrina Ghayour released her fabulous book Feasts, I immediately did as I always do with her books…flick through it to find her latest aubergine recipes. This girl knows what to do with an aubergine! However, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this recipe for her Peach, Lime & Pistachio Polenta Cake. Doesn’t it look pretty? I had a friend coming round for dinner that night and I had most of the ingredients in my kitchen already so I cracked on and got baking!
This cake serves 8-10 people and is pretty strightforward to make. It also refrigerates well if you want to keep some for later. My friend and I had two slices each when we tried it, then it was demolished at work the next day. It is so delicious, like eating summer. Its moist and dense, yet somehow light and airy. Please try it out if you get the chance.
INGREDIENTS
3 peaches
3 large eggs
200g caster sugar
3 unwaxed limes
150g fine polenta
175g pistachios, finely blitzed
150g salted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing
FOR THE TOPPING
150ml Greek yoghurt
1 peach
25g pistachios, roughly chopped
2 tbsp clear honey
Begin by placing the three peaches into a small saucepan, cover with boiling water and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until soft.
Drain, then immediately plunge the peaches into cold water to cool them. Remove the stones, drain any excess water, then blitz the rest in a blender until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 160C (non-fan 180C), Gas mark 4m and grease a 23cm round springform cake tin and line it with baking paper.
Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl. Finely grate the zest of 2½ limes directly into the bowl. Add the polenta and blitzed pistachios, then mix well.
Stir in the cooled melted butter and, lastly, the puréed peaches.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin, or overnight.
Remove the cake from the tin and place it on a serving plate. Prepare the topping just before you are ready to serve. Spread the Greek yoghurt straight from the refrigerator over the surface of the cake.
Alternatively, if you’re not going to eat the whole cake in one sitting, you can slice it into portions and top each slice individually.
Slice the peach and arrange on top of the yoghurt. Scatter over the pistachios and finely grate the zest of the remaining lime half over the top.
Drizzle over the honey and serve immediately.
