Ginger and Pear Polenta Cake (gluten-free)

This one-bowl gluten-free ginger and pear polenta cake is really easy to make and bursting with flavour. The sweet chunks of pear balance nicely with the cornmeal crumb, fiery ginger and pear drizzle.

Call me lazy, but I love recipes that are easy. This gluten-free ginger and pear polenta cake takes no time at all to whip up - you simply mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, pour it into the pan and bake!

Minimal washing up afterwards is always a winner to me. I spent most of the summer in the kitchen writing my upcoming Veggie Desserts cookbook and the dishes seemed endless. I had a great time, but seriously.... dishes!

If you're looking for other gluten free desserts, try my almond and orange pan flour cake, or these lovely gluten free brownies.

Canned pears mean you can have this fresh, fruity homemade cake all year round. Pears bring such lovely moisture and their delicate perfume to a cake, plus, they're good for you!

How to Make Gluten-free Polenta Cake with Ginger and Pears

This cake is fluffy and crumbly, with big chunks of pears throughout. There is a little ginger for a hit of spicy flavour and I've topped it with a pear drizzle. It's a perfect cake with a cup of tea on a lazy afternoon.

This cake is super quick and easy to make.

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and beat to combine.
2. Pour into the pan and bake.
3. Make the drizzle by mixing the ingredients into a smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
4. Tuck in and enjoy!

Cook's Tips:

• If you don't have polenta, you can use fine cornmeal instead.
• You can use chopped fresh pears, or canned pears in juice.
• The stem ginger in the recipe is the balls/chunks of peeled fresh ginger, candied in syrup.
• Substitute stem ginger for 3 tbsp crystallised ginger (the hard dry pieces of ginger covered in hard sugar) or 1 tbsp ground ginger.
• If you use fresh pears, make sure they're ripe and peel them over a bowl to collect the juice for the drizzle.
• If you like your cake spicy, use extra ginger.
• Be sure to let the cake cool before adding the drizzle or else it will absorb into the warm cake.

Pears

I have a pear tree in my garden. It's laden with fruit in late summer, but, sadly, we don't get to eat any of those beautiful pears. We moved in over a year ago, but the tree hasn't been pruned in decades.

It's so incredibly tall that the fruit smashes to smithereens by the time it lands on the ground. Yup, basically a bird buffet. It's such a shame and we really need to get someone out to prune our 20ft pear tree this year. *adds to to-do list*

In the meantime, I love the convenience and flavour of canned pears in juice. They're a great year-round treat. I grew up on them on ice cream, with custard, and in my mum's famous pear and ricotta cake (I must get the recipe and blog it soon!).

I've used canned pears in this ginger and pear polenta cake as they're soft, easy and full of lovely juice for the pear drizzle. My sisters and I used to always argue over who got to drink the juice from the can.

Recipe first published 28 November 2016
Republished 31 October 2018

Get the Ginger Pear Polenta Cake Recipe

Ginger and Pear Polenta Cake (gluten-free) with Pear Drizzle

Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

This one-bowl gluten-free ginger and pear polenta cake is really easy to make and bursting with flavour. The sweet chunks of pear balance nicely with the cornmeal crumb, crystallized ginger and pear drizzle.

5 from 15 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, International

Servings 10

Calories 346 kcal

Ingredients

 

For the Ginger and Pear Polenta Cake

• 415 g (15oz can) of pears, drained and finely chopped (juice reserved for drizzle)
• 180 g (2 cups) ground almonds
• 150 g (⅔ cup) unsalted butter, softened - use dairy free butter for a dairy free cake
• 125 g (⅔ cup) castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 100 g (½ cup) polenta or fine cornmeal (not quick-cook polenta)
• 3 pieces stem ginger in syrup (finely chopped) or 1 tbsp ground ginger or 3 tbsp crystallized ginger
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder (check that it’s gluten-free, if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

For the Pear Drizzle

• 6 tablespoons powdered icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• 3-4 teaspoons pear juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180C/160Cfan/350F. Grease a 23cm/9inch loose-bottomed or springform cake pan and line the base with baking parchment.

For the ginger and pear polenta cake:

• In a large bowl, or stand mixer, beat all cake ingredients until well combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread out evenly.
• Cook for 35-45 minutes until the surface is browned and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the tin.
• Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before carefully turning out.

For the pear drizzle:

• Stir the juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Drizzle over the completely cooled cake and serve.

Notes

• If you don't have polenta, you can use fine cornmeal instead.
• You can use chopped fresh pears, or canned pears in juice.
• The stem ginger in the recipe is the balls/chunks of peeled fresh ginger, candied in syrup. 
• Substitute stem ginger for 3 tbsp crystallised ginger (the hard dry pieces of ginger covered in hard sugar) or 1 tbsp ground ginger.
• If you use fresh pears, make sure they're ripe and peel them over a bowl to collect the juice for the drizzle.
• If you like your cake spicy, use extra ginger.
• Be sure to let the cake cool before adding the drizzle or else it will absorb into the warm cake.

 

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is created with online calculators. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 6gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 127mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 470IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 1.1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this UK food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes and also easy vegan desserts.
Kate x