I was inspired to bake this cake after watching the characters in Dinner With Friends consume it. But who knew one of the main ingredients would be so hard to come by? After an exhaustive search of many major supermarkets (for the record, the grocery manager at Save-On Foods had never even heard of it), and with the help of my Dad, I was finally able to get my hands on a package of polenta flour (coarse corn meal) at the Italian Centre.
Corn flour vs. PolentaAs I still have quite a bit of polenta flour left, I may, out of necessity, have to recreate this cake again.
Lemon Almond Polenta Cake
EDIT: the recipe, from the Dinner with Friends program, as requested,
1lb unsalted butter at room temperature
1lb superfine granulated sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
10oz ground almonds
6 medium eggs
4tbsp lemon zest
2tbsp lemon juice
8oz polenta flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-inch circular cake pan.
- Whip the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Stir in the almonds and vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon zest and juice, the polenta flour, baking powder and salt. Stir well together. Put the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for around 45 minutes. The cake should be firm in the centre and golden on top.
- Serve alone or with ice cream. Serves 10-12.
Only Here for the Food 
I watched and fell in love with this movie many years ago and have been dying to get a hold of the polenta cake they shared with Colletti. Thank you so much for posting this. I was curious though, is it mild or sweet and if you could compare it to something? Thanks so much. Natalie