Upside Down Orange Polenta Cake
Easy
Upside Down Orange Polenta Cake This beautiful cake is bursting with flavours of orange and a hint of rosemary. Polenta gives the syrupy sponge a lovely texture and adds to the sunshine yellow colour. The adornment of sticky orange slices are tender, much like marmalade. We used a variety of blood oranges with striking speckles of red, which are lovely when in-season, but you can use regular oranges when those are out of season. The inclusion of rosemary is optional, but it does add a little something extra that complements the citrus. This easy-to-make cake uses olive oil that will keep moist for days, but you can substitute for sunflower oil if you prefer. Best served with whipped cream and a strong cup of tea, and as it’s quite a sweet cake, it’s perfect for serving a crowd.
Upside Down Orange Polenta Cake
Easy
Introduction
Upside Down Orange Polenta Cake This beautiful cake is bursting with flavours of orange and a hint of rosemary. Polenta gives the syrupy sponge a lovely texture and adds to the sunshine yellow colour. The adornment of sticky orange slices are tender, much like marmalade. We used a variety of bloo
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Ingredients
- 300g sugar
- 225ml water
- 1 stem fresh rosemary
- *2 large oranges, washed & thinly sliced
- 200g self-raising flour
- 75g polenta
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200g granulated sugar
- 200ml light olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- Juice & zest from 1 large orange
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, optional
FOR THE ORANGE TOPPING:
FOR THE CAKE:
Method
- 1. * If using large oranges, you’ll need about 11 slices in total for the top which you should get from 2 oranges, otherwise, 3 smaller ones should do.
- 2. Line the bottom of a 23cm (9inch) round springform tin with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter. Set aside.
- 3. For the orange topping, combine the sugar and water in a large shallow saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- 4. Add the rosemary and orange slices to the pan and partially cover with a lid then simmer gently over medium low heat, turning sliced over once or twice, until the rinds have softened, 10-15 minutes.
- 5. Arrange the orange slices in the bottom of the prepared springform tin, starting with 1 slice in the centre, 5 around it like the petals of a flower, and the remaining 10 slices around the outside against the edges of the tin. Set aside until needed, also reserving the orange-infused syrup for later.
- 6. Pre-heat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted.
- 7. To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, polenta and baking powder in a large bowl then whisk together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl or large jug.
- 8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a wooden spoon or electric mixer just until the batter is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- 9. Pour the batter into the tin on top of the oranges then bake in the pre-heated oven until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out without any wet batter clinging to it, 45-48 minutes.
- 10. While cake is still warm, pierce the sponge in various places with a small sharp knife or prick with a skewer and spoon or brush about 1/3 of the reserved syrup over the cake.
- 11. Leave cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
- 12. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the sponge then remove the collar of the springform tin from the pan. Place a serving plate on top of the sponge and flip the cake over. Remove the base of the springform tin then carefully peel away and discard the parchment paper.
- 13. While the cake is cooling completely, place the remaining orange-infused syrup over medium heat and simmer until reduced slightly and it has thickened. Remove from heat and leave to cool completely.
- 14. Before serving, spoon the syrup over the top of the cake and serve slices with a good dollop of whipped cream.
- 15. Store cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or up to 5 days if kept in the fridge, though we do recommend allowing portioned slices to come to room temperature before enjoying.
