Gluten Free – Spiced polenta, coconut, orange and lemon cake
Easy
Prep 20min Cook 45min
I tried this cake in New Zealand and begged for the recipe. This spiced polenta and coconut orange and lemon cake is an amazingly moist and delicious cake.
When this recipe was shared with me, it was said so fast that I didn’t have a chance to write it down so I got the idea and used a previous recipe that I had and mixed the two together. I had to give most of the cake away for fear that I would just slice it and eat the whole thing. As well as a perfect cake for morning or afternoon tea, it is ideal to toast for a breakfast topped with yoghurt and fruits or for a dessert with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate chunks.
Cake Ingredients
- 2 navel oranges, scrubbed
- 1 lemon, scrubbed
- 1-1/2 cups (210g) fine yellow polenta
- 1/4 cup (35g) coconut flour
- 2 tsps. baking powder
- 2 tbsps. poppy seeds
- Pinch salt
- 250g butter, softened
- 2 cups natural sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. mixed spice
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 6 eggs
Icing Ingredients
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup of icing sugar
Substitute Ingredients
- Corn, quinoa, chickpea or potato flour or 1 cup of ground almonds for the coconut flour
- Cornmeal for the polenta
Recipe Steps
Preheat the oven to 160c and grease two loaf tins 12.5 x 23cm or 12 x 22cm, lining them with baking paper.
Place the whole oranges and the lemon into a saucepan large enough to cover the fruit with water. You may need to sit a lid on the pot or weigh down the oranges and lemons so that they stay submerged. Bring the water to a boil cooking the fruit for 30 minutes if completely submerged, if the water only comes half way up the fruit then turn the fruit over and cook on both sides for 10 minutes each. Allow the fruit to cool in the water.
When cool, blend the fruit in a food processor or blender until smooth.
In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.
Beat together the butter, sugar and spices until pale and creamy. Gradually, while still beating the butter add in the eggs one at a time, beating in between each one. Make sure you use a scraper to scrape up all the butter and sugar right at the bottom of the bowl.
With the beaters on slow, gradually add in 1 cup at a time of the polenta mixture alternating with the fruit pulp, continue to do so until all of the fruit and the polenta has been combined.
Pour the mix into the cake tins and bake for 40 – 45 minutes until slightly firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean.
Allow the cakes to cool completely before mixing the icing together and pouring this over the cakes. You can also use some candied orange as garnish.