Blood Orange Polenta Drizzle Cake Recipes

BLOOD ORANGE POLENTA DRIZZLE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and line a 900ml loaf tin with a long strip of baking paper. Put the butter and caster sugar into a large bowl and beat with electric beaters until really light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, 1 at a time, until completely incorporated. Stir through the flour, polenta, baking powder and orange zest, with a pinch of fine salt. Pour into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Use the skewer to make 12 holes, about 3⁄4 of the way down, all over the cake.
• Mix together the blood orange juice, lemon juice and 3 tbsp of icing sugar, then pour 1⁄2 over the surface of the cake. Leave to cool completely then use the strip of baking paper to lift the cake onto a platter. Put the remaining icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add the remaining blood orange juice mix, stirring to make a glaze. Spoon over and serve.

UPSIDE-DOWN BLOOD ORANGE-POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat pan with nonstick spray and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Cook brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, 2 minutes (it should be slightly thickened). Pour caramel into prepared pan and let rest until set, about 5 minutes.
• Arrange orange slices in concentric circles in a single layer over caramel. (Start with larger slices around the outside, then use smaller ones as you work toward the center. Cut up leftover citrus to fill in the gaps.)
• Whisk flour, polenta, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Place granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; scrape in vanilla seeds and save pod for another use. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions; beat until mixture is very fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions alternating with buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix just until batter is smooth. Scrape batter into prepared pan (be careful not to disturb orange slices) and smooth surface with an offset spatula.
• Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cake to loosen, then unmold. Invert cake onto rack and carefully remove bottom of pan. Let cool completely.
• Finely grate lemon omani and cardamom pods over cake and whipped cream, if desired. Serve cake with whipped cream alongside.