Cake of the Day: Orange & Rosemary Polenta Cake from ‘Citrus’
Every day, Yahoo Food features delectable cakes. They taste good, they look good, and they’re made by good people — talented bakers from around the world. Today, Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson share a colorful, orange-laced cake from their cookbook Citrus: Sweet & Savory Sun-Kissed Recipes.
This Orange & Rosemary Polenta Cake uses a variety of oranges to give it a colorful, jeweled top. (Photo: Victoria Pearson)
By Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson
Orange & Rosemary Polenta Cake
Serves 6 to 8
There’s a farm stand near Victoria’s house that sells all kinds of oranges, and it’s the inspiration for this cake, which uses a variety of oranges to give it a colorful, jeweled top. Soaked in syrup and with the herbal taste of rosemary, it is delicious served with tea as an afternoon treat.
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
1⁄4 cup water
2 Valencia oranges, thinly sliced
2 blood oranges, thinly sliced
2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup fine-grind polenta
11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 eggs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. In a saucepan, combine 1⁄2 cup of the sugar and the water and heat over medium-high heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve without stirring. Boil the mixture for about 5 minutes, until it starts turning golden brown. Remove from the heat, pour the syrup into the prepared pan, and swirl the cake pan to cover the bottom.
Arrange the orange slices in concentric circles on the syrup, overlapping them and covering the bottom of the pan completely.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, baking powder, and rosemary and set aside. In another bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat together the butter and the remaining 3⁄4 cup of sugar on low speed until creamy, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale ivory. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until combined.
Reduce the speed to low and add the polenta and flour mixture a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until combined.
Spoon the mixture over the orange slices and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving platter and serve warm.
Reprinted with permission from Citrus: Sweet & Savory Sun-Kissed Recipes, by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson (Ten Speed Press).
Citrus: Sweet & Savory Sun-Kissed Recipes by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson. (Photo: Victoria Pearson)
For more awesome cake inspiration, visit our Cake of the Day Pinterest board and get to pinning!
More sun-kissed cake recipes:
Honey Cake With Orange Buttercream From ‘Scandinavian Baking’
