Blood Orange & Basil Polenta Cake
Blood oranges are everywhere at the moment and they are so good. I picked up these ones from the local market in Tenterden and couldn’t believe the colour when I cut into them. I wanted to try cooking polenta cake for something a bit different, and I’d seen lots of variations, some using flour, some with ground almonds, but none with basil.
I think the flavour combination works really well. I love the aromatic, almost aniseed flavour of the fresh basil with the sweetness of the oranges. The first attempt at this cake was good but didn’t pack the flavour punch that I wanted. So I swapped out the flour for ground almonds, added double the amount of basil along with the zest of two of the oranges as well.
Although it’s tempting to tuck in as soon as the cake is cool enough to turn out. Don’t! Leave well alone until it’s completely cold in its tin, then turn it out onto a plate. This really is a dish best served cold.
A little tip: When baking this, use a deep-sided tin rather than a sandwich tin, which will be too shallow. Don’t be like me the first time and end up with a cake lava flow in your oven as the batter erupts over the edge of the tin.
Here’s how I made my Blood Orange & Basil Polenta Cake
Bright orange to yellow to purple - a sunset in a cake. Marmalade sticky orange slices with some flecks of basil for an aromatic lift, this is a heavyweight of the cake circuit that holds its own at elevenses or high tea or even as a dessert with a dollop of cream. Best served with a strong cup of coffee.
Pre-heat oven to 165 C and prepare a suitable cake tin. I used a springform non-stick cake pan, approx 9 inches across and greased the sides and lined the bottom with a round of non-stick baking paper.
Cream together the soft butter with the sugar until it's soft and thoroughly mixed.
Then separately, zest and juice two of the oranges, and finely chop a handful of basil leaves.
Slowly add in the eggs to the butter and sugar mix.
Once combined, add to this the orange juice and zest, the chopped basil leaves, pinch of salt and, finally, the ground almonds and polenta.
Mix until thoroughly combined to a smooth batter.
Slice the remaining orange into thin rounds and arrange these on the bottom of the cake tin before pouring in the batter. The idea is that you'll have a pretty presentation of orange slices once the cake is turned out.
I baked this for approx 55 minutes, checking it regularly towards the end. It needs to be set in the middle and biscuity at the edge.
Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning it out onto a plate.
Ingredients
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 165 C and prepare a suitable cake tin. I used a springform non-stick cake pan, approx 9 inches across and greased the sides and lined the bottom with a round of non-stick baking paper.
Cream together the soft butter with the sugar until it's soft and thoroughly mixed.
Then separately, zest and juice two of the oranges, and finely chop a handful of basil leaves.
Slowly add in the eggs to the butter and sugar mix.
Once combined, add to this the orange juice and zest, the chopped basil leaves, pinch of salt and, finally, the ground almonds and polenta.
Mix until thoroughly combined to a smooth batter.
Slice the remaining orange into thin rounds and arrange these on the bottom of the cake tin before pouring in the batter. The idea is that you'll have a pretty presentation of orange slices once the cake is turned out.
I baked this for approx 55 minutes, checking it regularly towards the end. It needs to be set in the middle and biscuity at the edge.
Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning it out onto a plate.