Orange Polenta Cake

Orange Polenta Cake is a simple Italian-style cake made with cornmeal and fresh orange juice. This citrus cake has a crumbly texture and a beautiful golden colour. This Italian cake recipe is so simple but tastes very rich and delicious.

What is polenta? 

Polenta is an Italian dish (not an ingredient) made with boiled cornmeal. This dish can be eaten in so many ways; it can be severed hot like porridge or baked like a cake. Because cornmeal is usually the main ingredient of the polenta dish, when you see the term "polenta," it refers to cornmeal.

Why this recipe works?

• It satisfies your sweet tooth.
• Makes an easy and delicious breakfast.
• Inexpensive dessert

What is this Orange Polenta Cake made of?

Polenta (Cornmeal): You can use either fine or coarse cornmeal; however, in this recipe, I use coarse cornmeal. 
All-Purpose Flour: Measure the flour well.
Olive Oil: Canola or avocado oil will work as well.
Baking Powder: Use good quality baking powder.
Eggs: Use 3 large eggs at room temperature
Unsalted Butter: Softened
Plain Yoghurt: Use whole plain yoghurt, or you can replace it with sour cream.
Sugar: You can use either granulated sugar or caster sugar.
Orange: This recipe will use fresh orange juice and grated orange zest.
Salt: If you are using salted butter in this recipe, you can skip adding salt.
Powdered Sugar: To sprinkle on top of the cake.

How to make an Orange Polenta Cake?

Preparations: Preheat the oven to 350F/ 175C.
Line an 8-inch springform or baking pan with parchment paper or grease well with butter.

Combining the Dry Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

Combining the Wet Ingredients: In another mixing bowl, whisk sugar and eggs using an electric whisk until the mixture becomes pale. Now, add yoghurt, lemon juice and zest, oil, and butter; mix well until combined.

Combining All the Ingredients: Pour the cornmeal mixture over the egg mixture, mix well. Pour all the batter into the baking pan and bake for 40 minutes. To know if the cake is fully baked, insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake; if it comes out clean (nothing on it), the cake will be good.
Allow the cake to cool down, then sprinkle some powdered sugar on top of it.

Top Tips:

• Using fine or coarse cornmeal will only affect the cake's texture, not the taste; however, I prefer to use coarse cornmeal because I like the gritty texture.
• You can sprinkle orange zest on top of the cake instead of powdered sugar for an extra orange flavour (if you like).
• If you like it nutty, just sprinkle some chopped nuts of your choice (such as almond or walnut) on top of the batter before baking it.

Recipe Variations:

• You can substitute olive oil with cooking oil or avocado oil.
• Substitute orange juice and zest with lemon juice and zest, if you like.
• You can replace the butter with more olive oil (the same amount).

Topping Options:

Feel free to substitute powdered sugar (topping) with whipped cream.

You can also top it with an orange glaze. To make the orange glaze, put 100ml of orange juice and half a cup of sugar (granulated or caster) in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 4-5 minutes. After that, turn the heat off and let it cool down completely before drizzling it over the cake.

Serving Suggestions:

This cake is so delicious plain; however, you can serve it with some fresh fruits or a cup of a cold or hot drink. For me, I love to serve it with a cup of cold milk.

Recipe FAQs

Is polenta gluten-free?

Yes, since it is made from corn, it is gluten-free. In fact, it is a good substitute for pasta.

How to store and freeze polenta cake?

Storing this Orange Polenta Cake is so simple. Cut it into medium-sized pieces the put into an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 4-5 days. To freeze polenta cake, put it in a well-sealed container in the freezer for 2-3 months. Let it thaw at room temperature.

You don't like the polenta cake to have a crumbly texture?

The percentage of cornmeal to flour is what determines if the cake will be crumbly or not. I use 1 cup polenta to ¾ cup flour in this recipe because I prefer it to be a bit crumbly. If you want it less crumbly, use 1 cup flour to ¾ cup cornmeal. Also, you can use fine cornmeal instead of coarse.

Tools Used in Making Polenta Cake:

• Measuring cups: To measure all the ingredients.
• Electric whisk: To mix the eggs and sugar well.
• Baking pan: Used in baking the cake.

More Cake Recipes

• Eggnog bundt cake with white chocolate icing
• Golden syrup cake
• Coffee cake with coffee cream frosting
• Blueberry and peach dump cake

Easy cake recipes

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