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    Home » Recipes » Baking

    Orange Polenta Cake

    Published: Jan 20, 2020 · Modified: May 10, 2021 by Adrianne

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    Easy Flourless Orange Cake with text overlay

    Orange Polenta Cake is a zingy and fresh citrus cake! Much like our Lemon Polenta Cake from our baking recipes  polenta is the star of the show!

    Orange Polenta Cake on a white plate with silver teaspoons

    Whip out some sweet treats like our Anzac Biscuits, Triple Caramel Chocolate Brownies, Lion Cake and Cookie Monster Cupcakes. For a week night possible cake, try our No Bake Chocolate Cake. For festive desserts your go to recipes are our Chocolate Ripple Wreath, Christmas Wreath Pavlova and 8 Egg Pavlova. 

    The freshly squeezed orange juice in with the orange zest and polenta is next level delicious!

    Satisfy your sweet tooth with these delicious recipes! 

    This is a healthy polenta cake recipe that is quick and easy to prepare. Similar with different techniques to our Lemon Polenta Cake, you will have a hard time picking a favourite from the two! 

    What is Polenta Cake made from?

    Polenta cake is made from a combination of ingredients including the coarse bright yellow polenta grain. 

    Made from yellow corn, you have probably come across polenta being used in savoury dishes. It is often found in the cooking aisle with the other flours and cake products. 

    To make this Orange Polenta Cake, we use a combination of wet and dry ingredients. The freshly squeezed orange juice goes into our cake along with some lively orange zest for a moist and soft cake texture. 

    This is a different technique to our Lemon Polenta Cake for the reliable sweetness of the orange fruit allows us to incorporate this juice. With lemons, their juice is more acidic and tart, so we use their zest but not their juice in the actual cake batter. 

    Is Polenta Cake Gluten Free?

    This cake is a gluten free cake. The polenta we use is 'gluten free' as are the other ingredients.

    If in doubt at all, check the label of the products as you purchase them and ensure each is free from gluten. 

    Can you use ready made Polenta in cakes?

    Ready made polenta is not suitable for using in polenta cakes. 

    This is because it is cooked and sold in a solid form. 

    The polenta that we add as a dry ingredient to our recipe is coarse, grainy and perfect for a texture that brings the citrus flavours to life. 

    Can you freeze Orange Polenta Cake?

    This recipe is perfect to freeze and that is easily done. 

    The best method to achieve this is to bake the cake then remove it from the oven whilst it cools. 

    Once your polenta cake is fully cooled, you can wrap it firmly in cling wrap or cut the cake into individual pieces and freeze separately. 

    To serve the cake, you can then remove it from the freezer and allow it to defrost in the fridge (or on the bench for a few hours). 

    You have the option to serve the cake cold or for an even more delicious treat, heat the cake in the microwave and serve with ice cream. The combination of hot polenta cake with ice cream melting over it is simply heavenly! 

    BROWSE BY:

    Baking recipes  Chocolate recipes Dessert recipes

     

    Orange Polenta cake ingredients 

    The photo below shows you all of the ingredients we need for Orange Polenta Cake. They are set out and labelled so you can grab them quickly and know exactly what you need! 

    Orange Polenta Cake ingredients with text overlay

    As you can see we need are:

    • oranges
    • polenta
    • caster sugar
    • eggs
    • almond flour (note often called almond meal)
    • butter
    • baking powder
    • icing sugar

    Orange Polenta Cake method

    Here are the step by step photos and instructions to make this recipe. We can break down our method into 18 easy steps. 

    Orange Polenta Cake process shots 1 to 4
    1. crack eggs into a jug and whisk to combine (shown in photos 1-2)
    2. zest your oranges and juice oranges, then set aside (shown in photo 3-4)
    Orange Polenta Cake process shots 5 to 8

    Orange Polenta Cake steps 5 to 8

    • use electric beaters to beat butter and sugar (shown in photos 5-6)
    • add orange zest to batter (shown in photo 7)
    • add almond flour (shown in photo 8)
    Orange Polenta Cake process shots 9 to 12
    • pour orange juice into batter (shown in photo 9)
    • add your eggs to the cake batter (shown in photo 10)
    • followed by your polenta (shown in photo 11)
    • then add your baking powder (shown in photo 12)

    Healthy Polenta Cake Method

    Orange Polenta Cake process shots 13 to 16
    • use a spoon to stir and combine all of the ingredients(shown in photo 13) 
    • pour your cake batter into prepared lined tin (shown in photo 14)
    • use the back of a spoon to smooth out (shown in photo 15))
    • bake your polenta cake till it is golden (shown in photo 16)
    Before and after decorating Orange Polenta Cake
    • let your cake cool, remove from tin and flip onto serving plate (shown in photo 17)
    • dust icing sugar and orange zest  over the top of the cake (shown in photo 18)

    Looking for the latest recipes on the blog? Click here! 

    Orange Polenta Cake recipe quick info:

    About the recipe:

    • we use fresh oranges for both the zest and orange juice
    • the zest tends to be 'wetter' than lemon zest and will clump more
    • look in the health food aisle for the almond flour
    • the polenta is the bright yellow coarse grain
    • ready rolled polenta is not suitable for this cake

    FAQs about Orange Polenta Cake 

    1. spraying your cake tin will oil with help the baking paper stick! 
    2. we use fresh oranges for the recipe
    3. you can use either almond flour or almond meal 
    4. this is a freezer friendly recipe
    5. This is an EASY recipe

    The combination of orange zest and fresh juice makes this cake most and zesty! 

    If you like baking with chocolate these recipes are for you!  

    Orange Polenta Cake cut showing orange colored cake texture on a white plate

    Orange Polenta Cake Pro tips:

    These additional tips are so that you can master this recipe from the 1st time you make it:

    • preheat your oven as it will save time
    • I prefer using navel oranges as their skin us a brighter orange 
    • the edges of the cake will slightly brown before the centre is cooked that is fine
    • use a sieve to dust the icing sugar onto the top of the cake 
    • serve your cake hot with ice-cream for an ultra delicious feast! 

    Here are sweet recipes that will make your heart sing! 

    You will be delighted at the moist texture of the cake delivered from the addition of the orange juice. 

    Orange Polenta Cake on a white plate with silver teaspoons

    Sweet Baking recipes to try: 

    • Lemon Polenta Cake
    • Triple Caramel Chocolate Brownies
    • Zucchini Spice Cake
    • Dulce de Leche Tartlets (p.s you can make the dulce in the slow cooker!) 
    • Cookie Monster Cupcakes (these are super fun to make!) 
    • Lion Cake recipe (perfect for a special occasion)

    PIN and save this recipe for later! 

    Orange Polenta Cake with cut slices on a white plate wither silver teaspooons

    Orange Polenta Cake

    Orange Polenta Cake is a zingy and fresh citrus cake! Much like our Lemon Polenta Cake from our baking recipes polenta is the star of the dish!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: afternoon tea, Birthday
    Cuisine: Australian, International
    Keyword: birthday cake, polenta
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 446kcal
    Author: Adrianne
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Cake Tin (22.5cm)
    • Electric beaters
    • Stiring spoon
    • Mixing bowl
    • Citrus Zester
    • Juicer

    Ingredients

    Orange Polenta Cake

    • 200 grams butter soft, Note 1
    • 150 grams caster sugar
    • 150 grams almond flour Note 2
    • 140 grams polenta Note 3
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder Note 4
    • zest of 3 oranges Note 5
    • juice of one orange Note 6

    Instructions

    Orange Polena Cake

    • Preheat oven to 200°c/400°F, gas 6
    • Crack each egg into a jug, discard shells and whisk to combine
    • Use a citrus zester to zest the oranges and set aside
    • Use a juicer to juice 1 of the oranges and set aside
    • Place your butter into a mixing bowl and use electric beaters to beat. Add the sugar and continue to beat.
    • Add the orange zest followed by almond flour and stir to combine
    • Pour the whisked eggs into the batter and use a spoon to stir till combined
    • Add polenta and baking powder and stir again to combine.
    • Transfer the cake mix into a lined cake tin and bake for 40- 50 mins. You will notice the edges of the cake turn a light golden brown. You can use a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake to test if it is done. Note 7

    Video

    Notes

    • Note 1 As part of the process to make this cake the 1st thing I do is take the butter out of the fridge and leave it on the bench for a bit. This allows it to soften naturally which speeds up the process of beating it as well as allowing the process to be easier. I use a hand held mixer so if I m trying to beat hard fresh out of the fridge butter, the bowl can spin wildly out of control if the butter is not soft to start with. 
    • Note 2 This is slightly different to almond meal, however both work well. Almond flour is finer and doesn't have any brown flecks from the skin of the almonds which some almond meal ranges can have. 
    • Note 3 We use more polenta in this cake than our Lemon Polenta Cake to allow for the additional of the orange juice. 
    • Note 4 For our Lemon Polenta Cake we don't use baking powder as we don't really need it. However due to the addition of more wet ingredients in this Orange Polenta Cake, I do recommend using it. 
    • Note 5 For our oranges, we use the zest from all 3 and the juice from 1. The zest of approximately 2 of them go in the cake and 1 goes on the cake. 1 whole orange gets juiced and the juice as well as any pulp goes into the cake. 
    • Note 6 I use a hand held juicer. Simply cut 1 orange in half and juice each half. I tip the pulp and juice in (just no orange seeds!) 
    • Note 7 This is a popular technique I use to test my cakes. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready. If there is any wet mix, it needs a little more more time. The top of the cake should also spring back when lightly pressed with the tip of a finger. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 751IU | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe? Share on Instagram!It makes my day when you make my recipes! Tag @sweetcaramelsunday

    Sweet Baked Treats

    There will be times when you need a savory bread recipe and times when you need a sweet citrus cake recipe!

    For both scenarios, I have you covered with recipes you can find in our baking, dessert or sweet sections. 

    Our Orange Polenta cake is so incredibly easily to make, yet packs a delightful zestyness which defies how simple it is to make. 

    I can't wait for you to try it and I would love to hear your comments in the feedback below. 

    Zest on my friends, zest on! 

    Adrianne xx

    If you too want some baking therapy, here are some ideas:

    RELATED RECIPES:

    Anzac Biscuits Lemon Polenta Cake No Bake Chocolate Cake

    Baking recipes Chocolate recipes  Dessert recipes Slow Cooker recipes Sweet recipes

     

    Try these next...

    • White Chocolate Crackles
    • Pistachio Biscuits
    • Chocolate Caramel Slice
    • Chicken Sausage Rolls

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. mimi rippee says

      January 22, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      This is fabulous. I've made something similar, but also with olive oil, and it was incredible. So I can only imagine how wonderful this cake is! Almond flour is such a fabulous ingredient.

      Reply
      • Adrianne says

        January 22, 2020 at 6:49 pm

        Thanks Mimi! An oil version sounds interesting! True, I love almond flour!

    2. Nancy T says

      June 27, 2020 at 12:39 am

      Looks delicious. Going to try recipe, but when do you add the orange juice?

      Reply
    3. JJ says

      January 08, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      Can I use coconut sugar ?

      Reply
      • Adrianne says

        January 08, 2022 at 4:41 pm

        Hi JJ, I haven't tried making the recipe with coconut sugar. However, my understanding is that you can generally substitute it in an equivalent measurement for other sugars. So you could give it a go. The taste of the cake may differ slightly. Best wishes.

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