When I want to breathe a bit of summer into our wintry days, this recipe never fails; it reminds me of Italian holidays. The cake bursts with a tangy orange flavour and is delicious served as a dessert with ice cream or a drizzle of fresh cream.
Ingredients
- 250g softened unsalted butter
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 140g Polenta
- 200g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Zest and juice of 2 oranges
Glaze
- 100ml orange juice
- 100g caster sugar
- Heat oven to 170C/140CFan/Gas 3
- Grease and line base and sides of a 23cm cake tin
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Beat in the eggs one at a time until mixture is thoroughly combined (add a little flour if the mixture looks like it is curdling)
- Mix in all the dry ingredients
- Keeping back 100ml of orange juice for the glaze – mix in remaining juice and zest to the mixture
- Spoon into your prepared tin and cook for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean
- Turn out onto a wire cooling rack to cool
- Make the glaze by putting the orange juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and allow to cool
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake and enjoy.
