Sticky orange polenta cake
by
This citrus cake recipe from chef and TV presenter John Torode has a fantastic flavour, as it uses whole lemons and oranges to make the cake. Polenta and ground almonds make for a moist and delicate crumb, as well as making it a gluten-free cake.
Ingredients
- 2 Seville oranges
- 2 lemons
- 180g of blanched almonds
- 4 eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- 170g of caster sugar
- 80ml of olive oil, plus extra for greasing
- 150g of polenta
- 10g of baking powder, if needed use gluten-free
For the syrup
- 3 Seville oranges , juice only (you need about 150ml)
- 75g of caster sugar
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm springform cake tin
2
Put 1 orange and 1 lemon into a large pan, cover with water, and place a circle of greaseproof paper over the top so the fruit sits under the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Take off the heat
3
Toast the blanched almonds in a dry frying pan. Put them in a food processor and blitz until finely ground
4
Take the cooked orange and lemon out of the pan. Cut them in half and pick out the seeds. Juice the other fresh orange and lemon (throw away the shells). Put the cooked fruit (skins and all) and extra freshly squeezed juice in the food processor and blend to make a paste
5
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the salt until foaming. Add the sugar and beat again, then add the orange paste, almonds and olive oil. Beat again
6
In a separate bowl, mix the polenta and baking powder, then gently fold this into the orange mixture until it is all mixed together
7
Pour the mixture into the greased tin and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
8
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the orange juice and sugar in a pan and simmer over a low heat until you have a glossy syrup
9
Turn the cake out of the tin onto a serving plate and pour the syrup over it while it’s warm
10
Top tip: If you wrap up the cake (without its syrup) in a sheet of greaseproof paper and a clean tea towel it will stay moist, become stickier and last for about a week
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Sticky orange polenta cake
