Orange Polenta Cake

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This is another cake that came about because I was having a sort out in my cupboard, seeing if anything was out of date.
 I found a packet of polenta that needed using up, and had saved this recipe ages ago from the side of a polenta packet. It's easy to make, and using the polenta makes a lovely light cake.
Preheat oven 160C/gas3              Grease a 23cm springform cake tin.

 Grate the zest from 3 medium sized oranges and keep it to put in the batter. Put 1 lemon aside to use later.

 In a bowl, mix together 210g plain flour, 2 tspn baking powder, 120g polenta and a tspn salt.

 In another bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand beater, beat together 4 large eggs and 200g caster sugar till it's pale and fluffy and tripled in size. Beat in the orange zest.

 You need 175ml olive oil, and you add this to the batter alternating with the flour mixture, scraping the bowl down occasionally; just beat gently until incorporated into batter.

 Spoon or pour the batter into the cake tin, smoothing the top. Bake for 25-30 mins, turning the cake round halfway through.

 Cool the cake in the tin for about 10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

 While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Sieve 250g icing sugar into a large bowl. Squeeze the oranges to get about 2 tbspn of juice and squeeze the lemon to get 1 tbspn juice. Add both juices to the icing sugar with a whisk or spoon till smooth.

 Drizzle the icing over the cooled cake, and allow to set till it's dry.






This is a light cake with a lovely hint of orange.It has a soft crumb and the citrus icing gives it a nice burst of flavour. I like making cakes with olive oil as it gives an extra flavour to them. This is another plain everyday cake to keep for the times when you need something sweet and citrussy!
























Comments

Phil in the Kitchen said…
I love it. I haven't enjoyed a polenta cake in far too long. I must sort out my cupboards - it may give me the perfect excuse to make a cake.
13/6/16 2:31 pm
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