Carrot and feta cake

By combining fine cornmeal or polenta with ordinary flour, you get a more

substantial texture to the loaf that works particularly well with savoury

ingredients. Makes one 20cm round or square cake, a loaf, or about 10 mini

cakes.

50g butter, plus a little extra for greasing the tin

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

100g plain flour

100g cornmeal

1 tsp baking powder

tsp salt

tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 carrots (about 200g), peeled and grated

180g feta, crumbled

2 tsp dill fronds, finely chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten

150ml milk

Warm the butter in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat and saut the

onion until soft and translucent. Add the cumin, stir for a minute, then set

aside to cool.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Butter a 1.5-litre loaf tin, or a

loose-bottomed Victoria sandwich tin, and line with baking parchment. Butter

the parchment, too (you can also make smaller ones in muffin tins or mini loaf

tins, in which case simply butter the smaller moulds and dust with flour).

Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the

cooled cooked onion, grated carrot, feta and dill. In a small bowl, whisk

together the eggs and milk, then mix into the flour mixture until just

combined, and pour into the prepared tin (or tins).

Bake large cakes for 40 minutes, smaller ones for 12-15 minutes, until a

toothpick or skewer comes out with no crumbs attached. Leave to cool in the tin

for five minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.