As the spring weather continues to spoil Brits, making the most of the sun with a slice of cake and afternoon tea feels like the only appropriate thing to do. Nigella Lawson’s recipe for a blueberry cake is one that can easily be prepared ahead of the weekend, with the celebrity chef recommending to grab the ingredients during an afternoon shop.

In the recipe for her upside down blueberry cake, Nigella said it can be “cooked without too much fanfare after work” making it the perfect mid-week recipe. The celebrity chef also opts for polenta in this recipe. A staple in many Italian cupboards, used widely in north Italian cuisine, polenta is made of coarsely ground corn. In baking, polenta is often used as a gluten-free alternative to flour, and provides a moist and dense texture to cakes, making it a great addition to this recipe.

Polenta is readily available in most UK supermarkets and is sold at Sainsbury's and Morrisons for £1.90. The recipe also uses flour, so if you want to make it gluten-free, you could instead use gluten-free flour.

Nigella also adds the zest of an orange and orange juice to the cake for a refreshing and citrusy kick.

Taking just under an hour to cook in the oven, the recipe requires very little preparation, and if you’re a frequent baker, it’s likely you’ll already have most of the ingredients to hand. But with very little prep required, it’s also beginner-friendly.

Nigella Lawson’s blueberry polenta upside down cake 

Ingredients

80g polenta

160g all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil (for greasing)

160ml olive oil or sunflower oil (whichever you prefer)

Two eggs

265g sugar

445g blueberries

Two tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

160ml orange juice

One large orange, zest grated

Method

Heat your oven to 175C before greasing and lining a square cake pan with baking paper, ideally 23cm. Grease the baking paper too. Sprinkle the baking paper that’s in the pan with 65 grams of sugar and add the blueberries on top, arranging in an even layer.

Get a large mixing bowl. Combine the eggs with the rest of the sugar and orange zest. Whisk until it forms a thick batter, then add the orange juice and oil. Whisk again until it’s blended and smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the polenta, flour, baking powder and salt. Combine this in the bowl with the eggs, and mix together until it's smooth.

Pour the batter into your cake pan and place in the oven. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until it’s golden brown and springy to touch. You can test this by placing a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, it’s cooked.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about five minutes. Once cool, flip the cake onto a serving plate, and remove the baking paper. Enjoy freshly baked, or at room temperature.