Blueberry, polenta and rapeseed oil upside-down cake
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Blueberry, polenta and rapeseed oil upside-down cake
Inspired by the simplicity of an olive oil cake, this recipe uses British rapeseed oil for a light, tender crumb and gently fruity finish. The cake will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container, or it can be frozen for up to a month
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Spencer Lengsfield
Our Senior Food Producer Spencer was born in Los Angeles, so has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean but is also heavily influenced by her family’s Louisiana heritage. She loves spice, bright flavours, and fusion food, and she has a soft spot for a chocolate chip cookie.
Ingredients
- zest of 2 lemons
- 180g granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 150ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil, plus extra to grease and drizzle
- 2 medium eggs, at room temperature
- 240g 5% fat strained Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 120g polenta
- 120g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder*
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 300g blueberries, plus extra to serve (optional)
- crème fraîche, to serve (optional)
Step by step
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Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Put the lemon zest and 180g granulated sugar in a large bowl, then rub it between your fingers so the zest is fully incorporated with the sugar and releases its oils. Whisk in the rapeseed oil. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition, until slightly thickened.
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Stir through the yogurt and vanilla paste, then fold in the polenta, almonds, baking powder and salt. Leave to stand for 10 minutes to allow the polenta to hydrate. The batter will thicken slightly.
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Grease a 24cm square tin, line with baking paper and rub a little oil over the baking paper base. Sprinkle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, then arrange the blueberries on top. Pour over the polenta batter and level with a spatula. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden and springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre (but not all the way through to the blueberry layer) comes out clean. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes, then invert onto a serving board and peel off the baking paper.
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Slice and serve while still warm or at room temperature, topped with extra blueberries and crème fraîche, if using, and a drizzle of rapeseed oil.
*Check your baking powder is gluten-free, if necessary.
To make this cake nut free, swap the ground almonds for fine semolina.
