Can I Make Individual Lemon Polenta Cakes?

Our answer

Nigella's Lemon Polenta Cake (from KITCHEN) is a popular gluten-free cake. The tender, crumbly cake is doused with a zesty lemon syrup after it is baked, making it desirably damp. Whilst it is possible to bake the cake as individual fairy cakes or cupcakes, it would not be our preference. As the cake is gluten free, it tends to sink slightly in the centre as it cools. If this happens in a cupcake, it tends to be much more noticeable than in a larger cake.

However, if you still wish to try, we would recommend lining the muffin pan with paper cases or liners as the cake is very crumbly and would break up if you tried to remove the indivildual cakes from the pan without paper cases (even a good non-stick pan). We estimate that the recipe would make 18-24 cupcakes (using a regular muffin pan) if you fill the paper cases about 2/3 full of cake batter. The oven temperature would be the same as for the large cake and the baking time is likely to be 18-20 minutes, or until the a tester inserted into the cakes in the centre of the pan comes out cleanish. The amount of syrup should be sufficient for the cupcakes and we would suggest drizzling a little on each cupcake using a teaspoon or brushing it on using a pastry brush. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 20 minutes then remove them from the pan and leave to cool on a wire rack. Don't leave them to cool completely in the pan as the trapped steam from the cooling cakes can cause the paper liners to start peeling away from the cakes themselves.