1cupUnsalted butterat room temperature, plus extra to grease
1cupGranulated sweetener that measures like sugar
3largeEggs, room temperature
½cupPolenta
2mediumOranges (Finely grated zest only)
1teaspoonBaking powder
1teaspoonOrange blossom water
1teaspoonvanilla essence
½teaspoonGround cinnamon
SYRUP
¼cuporange juice
2tablespoonsGranulated sweetener that measures like sugar
1teaspoonorange blossom water
2cardamom pods,crushed
Instructions
Cake
Cream Butter and Sweetener: Add the butter and sweetener to a large mixing bowl and mix with electric hand beaters on medium/high until combined. (It might seem a little gritty at first, but this is normal)
Add in Eggs/Vanilla: Once the butter and sweetener is creamed, beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the Vanilla.
Add the Dry Ingredients to a new bowl: add the polenta, almond meal, baking powder ground cinnamon, granulated sweetener and orange zest and mix to combine. Once these are combined, add to the wet ingredients and gently mix it all together
Pour Batter into cake tin and cook: Spoon the batter into the lined springform tin and bake for 160 degrees C or 320 degrees F for 50 minutes
Remove from oven and let cool: let cake cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
Syrup
Make Syrup: Add the syrup ingredients to a medium pot and heat on medium until the sweetener has dissolved. Then bring to the boil for around 4 to 5 minutes and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Syrup should be thin so that it can be absorbed into the cake easily.
Add Syrup to Cake: Use a fine metal cake skewer to poke around a dozen holes in the top and pour over the orange syrup. At first, it might seem that the syrup is too much for the cake, don’t be alarmed. Just make sure you pour the syrup on no later than 5 minutes out of the oven so the syrup can sink in properly.
Notes
Polenta: Buy a fine ground polenta as opposed to a more course one. I found the finer polenta has a nicer texture. The brand I use is “Sostanza Polenta”.
Sweetener: any type of natural granulated sweetener that measures like sugar would work in this recipe. I used granulated stevia (Natvia Baking Blend) in this recipe, however I also love to use monkfruit sweetener in my baking recipes as well. Both granulated monkfruit and granulated stevia for baking are sold in Woolworths and Coles in Australia and online through amazon.
Oranges: I used a large Navel orange for this recipe. Navel oranges are plump, sweet and juicy. Valencia or any other sweet juicy orange variety would be a good substitute.
Orange Blossom Water: this is like rosewater, but made from the orange blossoms on trees. Its beautifully fragrant and full of citrus. I usually find it in the baking aisle of Woolworths or Coles. If you can’t find it, zest another orange instead.
Syrup consistency: the consistency of this orange syrup is not like honey or even maple syrup. It is thinner and not really like you would expect a “syrup” to be. This is good though because it means it will easily and quickly soak into the cake and make it super moist and zesty. It also means it will stay fresher for longer and won’t dry out!
Cake Tin: you’ll need a 23cm/9 inch sized springform tin lined with baking paper.
Hand Held Electric Beaters: These also help to cream the butter and sugar
Storage: Store cake in an air tight container for 3 – 4 days.