A Good Appetite

A Pistachio-Lemon Snacking Cake That’s Perfect for Tea or Rosh Hashana

And it’s secretly gluten-free.

A lemony polenta cake, the kind of thing that’s fancy enough to feel like an occasion, yet simple enough to whip up on a whim, is rooted in Italian tradition. I’ve baked more versions than I can count. But Benjamina Ebuehi’s take, from her latest cookbook, “I’ll Bring Dessert,” made me rethink them all. Because along with the expected shower of lemon zest, she stirs in a hefty dose of minced preserved lemon.

Recipe: Pistachio Polenta Cake

It was a brilliant twist, and not surprising that it came from Ms. Ebuehi, the British cookbook author and food stylist who got her start as a contestant on “The Great British Bake Off.” She’s got a knack for reworking familiar baked goods. Seasoning polenta cake with preserved lemon, a staple of North African and Middle Eastern kitchens, is a perfect example. Where fresh lemon brings pure brightness, the preserved lemon adds something earthier and more complex: saltiness, depth and a touch of funk from the fermentation.

“I typically like pairing pistachios and lemons,” Ms. Ebuehi said when I asked her how she came up with the recipe. “Then I got the idea to try preserved lemons, which makes the flavor more robust. It gives the cake an edge.” (This said, if you don’t have any preserved lemon on hand, you can skip it for a more straightforwardly citrusy cake.)

As for the pistachios, she grinds them into the batter in place of the almond flour usually found in gluten-free bakes like this one. They give the crumb a marked richness, while the polenta keeps things rustic, with a gritty, nubby bite.

My only change to Ms. Ebuehi’s recipe was to swap in olive oil for the sunflower oil. Olive oil turns up often in polenta cake, and here it underscores the cake’s savory bent, which is balanced by a thick lemon glaze. This crowning touch nods to Ms. Ebuehi’s own baking tradition, a first cousin of the soaking syrup on a classic British lemon drizzle cake, reimagined as a tangy white icing that’s just sweet enough.

For Ms. Ebuehi, this is the kind of relaxed cake she’d set out with tea for friends. But I think it’s also an ideal dessert for the upcoming Jewish holidays. And since Rosh Hashana runs two nights, there’s no need to choose between this and Marian Burros’s plum torte. Make both — then revel in the leftovers.

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