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

5 from 18 votes

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

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, International

Servings:

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

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 tablespoon ground ginger or 3 tablespoon 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 tablespoon crystallised ginger (the hard dry pieces of ginger covered in hard sugar) or 1 tablespoon 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