Blood Orange, Almond and Polenta Cake

An incredibly moist cake, with a delicious soaking syrup

There is something unforgiving about “free-from” recipes, which almost feel like they are less worthy of celebration, because they are “lacking” in some ingredient – in this case, gluten. However, I love the density of this cake and the manner in which it absorbs the wonderful soaking syrup which it is bathe in.

Polenta is rarely celebrated for the wondeful texture it brings to baked goods and I really love its slightly gritty texture here, adding in textural interest to an otherwise smooth cake. But the polenta and almond flour aside, what makes this cake so special is the whole blood oranges which gets, boiled, blitzed and added to the batter. Blood Orange peels have a slightly bitter undertone, so helps to regulate the sweetness of the cake.

Once baked, the cake gets brushed, with what initially seems like a disproportionate amount of syrup. But thanks to its moist nature from the almond flour, had great absorption ability. I serve this cake with a side of whipped cream and a dollop of my Homemade Blood Orange and Brandy Marmalade.

Rather than being served with a cup of afternoon tea, which it is perfectly acceptable to do, this cake borders on a more impressive dessert to round off a scrumptious Mediterranean or even Indian Feast. It has just the level of sweet satiety, without leaving your guest feeling heavy and uncomfortable. The warmth from the spices in the syrup and the brandy make this a wonderful winter bake as well.

If you make this recipe, please share it with me by tagging me on Instagram @adventureswithsugar or on Facebook at Adventures with Sugar. Please also leave a comment below to let me know how you got on with the recipe.

FOR THE BLOOD ORANGE, ALMOND AND POLENTA CAKE

• 2 blood oranges, skin on and washed (approx 350g)
• 200g caster sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 100ml olive oil
• 150g ground almonds
• 80g polenta
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

METHOD

1. Boil the oranges: Place the oranges in a pot and cover with water. Gently simmer them for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a knife pierced into them goes through easily. Remove the oranges from the pot and let them cool for about 30 minutes.
2. Prepare your tin: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease and line the base and sides of s 23cm springform tin with baking paper.
3. Blitz the oranges: Roughly chop the oranges, with the skin on, remove the pips and blend in a food processor to form a smooth puree. Set aside until ready to use.
4. Combine the orange zest and sugar: Rub the orange zest into the caster sugar to release all the oils and aromas.
5. Whip the eggs and sugar together: Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and whisk on high speed, with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, for about five minutes, until the mixture has tripled in volume.
6. Add in the oil: Stream the oil into the eggs and sugar mixture and mix until well incorporated.
7. Add in the rest of the ingredients: Add the almonds, polenta, baking powder and orange puree to the egg, sugar and oil mixture and gently mix until everything is well combined.
8. Bake and Cool: Pour the mixture into a baking tin and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, before turning it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
9. Brush on Syrup and Serve: Only once completely cooled, transfer the cake to a serving plate, ideally with a lip to catch any extra syrup. Prick the cake all over and spoon on the syrup, letting the syrup soak in before adding more. Serve with unsweetened freshly whipped cream and my Blood Orange and Brandy Marmalade.

FOR THE SYRUP

• 175g caster sugar
• 180ml water
• 5 cardamom pods
• 2 star anise
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed
• 45ml orange juice (or brandy, if you like)

METHOD

1. Add aromatics to the syrup: Add the vanilla bean and seeds to the a pot, along with the sugar, spices, salt and water.
2. Cook the syrup: Bring to a gentle simmer and then boil for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.
3. Add in the alcohol: Add in the brandy or orange juice, whichever you choose to use. For a better depth of flavour, let the syrup infuse for a few hours, or at least 30 minutes, before straining out the spices.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com