Blood Orange & Thyme Polenta Cake
It feels like a blessing having citrus fruits during the winter months here in the northern hemisphere as it gives these dark months some freshness and brightness. We are so used to having lemons and oranges available all year round in Europe that I often find myself forgetting to take advantage of the seasonal varieties.
Blood oranges start appearing around late January/February. These delightful tasting oranges are particularly enticing due to the tye-dye ombre of red and orange flesh and skin. I also find that they have a richer taste with a combination of sweet and sour.
I think polenta cakes are a great way to celebrate citrus fruits. The sweet crunch it gives cakes just works so well with the zesty or sour citrus. I have also added ground almond to this recipe to keep it really moist as I find polenta cakes can get dry quite quickly.
If blood oranges are hard to find, feel free to use any kind of large orange. You can also choose your own yogurt and swap the spelt flour for a gluten-free flour to make the cake completely gluten-free.
BLOOD ORANGE & THYME POLENTA CAKE
serves 8 • 50 minutes
4-5 blood oranges
60ml / ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
sprig of fresh thyme
200ml / ¾ cup + 1 tbsp light olive oil
165g / ¾ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
zest & juice of ½ lemon
130ml / ½ cup dairy or vegan yogurt
65g / ⅔ cup ground almond flour
100g / ¾ cup fine or coarse polenta
100g / ¾ cup light spelt flour or plain flour
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
To a small pan, add the zest and juice of 1 orange plus the honey or syrup and the whole sprig of thyme. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil and allow to reduce by half. Once reduced, turn off the heat and allow it to completely cool.
Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 356℉. Grease and line a 23cm / 9in round cake tin.
Peel and slice 3-4 blood oranges into ½ cm thick discs. Strain the cooled syrup and pour into the cake tin, making sure it is evenly spread across the surface. Then arrange the orange slices on top. Set aside while you make the cake batter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and yogurt. Make sure everything is homogeneous and that there are no lumps of sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk together all the remaining dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring them gently in with a spatula and avoiding over mixing.
Carefully spoon the cake batter on top of the oranges, using a spatula to spread it evenly across the cake tin. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean from the middle of the cake.
Allow the cake to cool slightly in the tin. Run a spatula around the edge of the cake to unstick it from the sides before boldly turning it out onto a cake plate to catch any excess syrup.
Cake can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days and will keep moist. It may become dry if stored in the fridge.