Torta di polenta con pesche e lamponi (polenta, peach and raspberry cake)

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One of those incredibly simple, almost ingenuous, but delicious Italian cakes that can be rustled up in five minutes, in just one mixing bowl and that everyone loves.

The cake batter has fine corn flour and almonds in it and this makes for a rather firm base, which is the perfect foil for the juice peaches and raspberries. Other fruit can be used: apricots, plums, figs and apples, with or without berries. It can also be crowned by berries only and one could go the extra mile and top it with flaked almonds.This is a winner.

A 26 cm cake tin, with a removable base, buttered and lined.
10-12 portions

Preheat oven to 150 C, fan. medium rack.

100 g 00 flour
100 g fine polenta flour, called fioretto in Italian (fine corn flour)
a pinch of salt
half a teaspoon of baking powder
150 g caster sugar
75 g almonds, untoasted and coarsely ground (I did not skin them)
the grated zest of one lemon
170 g butter, liquified and cooled
2 eggs beaten with half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon of almond extract
2 large peaches, ideally white, washed, unpeeled, stone removed and sliced into sections- aiming at having 20-22 slices
a handful of raspberries, about 100 g
1 tablespoon amaretto liqueur

Mix the flours, salt, baking powder, sugar, almonds and lemon zest.
Add the butter, the eggs and mix well.
Pour into the tin. Lay the peaches on the outside and the raspberries in the centre (or follow your own decorative disposition).
Bake for about one hour and fifteen minutes.
Transfer the cake on a rack, remove it from the tin and let it cool for about 15 minutes. 
Brush it with the amaretto and cool completely.
Dust with a little icing sugar.

Great Italian breakfast material, but freshly made and eaten with a little creme fraiche or a mix of mascarpone and greek yogurt, it makes for a lovely dessert too

Plum and hazelnuts: delicious, 29th August . Using toasted hazelnuts, purple plum, omitting lemon, a little cinnamon in the batter