Lemon, polenta and yoghurt cake with poached apricots
Light, fluffy, fragrant from the lemon and pleasantly crunchy from the polenta, filled with the aroma and flavor of apricot, vanilla and cardamom
Published originally on my blog on 27 July 2012
In Greece, we celebrate our name day (ονομαστική εορτή), and mine was last Sunday, the twenty-second of July.
When I was little, I was always disappointed about the fact that my name day was smack in the middle of summer because that meant no party, no gifts and none of my schoolmates calling me up to wish me a happy name day. Everyone was on vacation.
Now, it's not as important. I don't really celebrate it but I take it as an opportunity to treat myself to a good meal and enjoy a decadent dessert, which I usually prefer to make myself.
This year though, my mom visited from Greece especially for my name day and I was extremely happy. And while we were thinking of making an intricate and rather difficult dessert for the occasion, we decided to go on a completely different direction and make something simple and summery. Sometimes, those are the best desserts.
We made a lemon, polenta and yoghurt cake with apricots poached in a vanilla and cardamom syrup. The result was amazing. The cake was light, just perfect for the hot days of July, fluffy, fragrant from the lemon, and pleasantly crunchy from the polenta.
The poached apricots, filled with the aroma of vanilla and the spiciness of cardamom, transform this simple cake into a unique dessert.
I'm treating all of you for my name day. Grab a piece and have a wonderful day!
Lemon, Polenta and Yoghurt Cake with Poached Apricots
It's best to use apricots that are not too ripe, so they don't disintegrate when you poach them. Naturally, the more aromatic and flavorful they are, the more delicious they'll be once cooked.
This dessert is not too sweet and if you enjoy sour flavors in your sweets, you may want to add a little more lemon juice to the apricot poaching liquid.
The great thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require a mixer. You do everything by hand and it's so easy too. Gotta love that.
