Food with Passion: Orange Polenta Cake with Honey, Cardamom and Pistachio
John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.
His passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef.
JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.
When January feels grey and joyless, this Orange Polenta Cake is a little beam of sunshine on a plate.
Infused with vibrant citrus and drizzled with a glossy honey, cardamom, and pistachio syrup, it’s misty, fragrant, and impossibly uplifting.
The polenta gives it a gorgeous golden crumb and a delicate bite, while the syrup soaks through to create a cake that’s moist, comforting, and quietly luxurious.
It’s the perfect treat to brighten a dull afternoon, chase away a winter slump, and remind you that even in the bleakest month, something delicious is always possible.
This is a new recipe but one I will no doubt be making over and over again.
Perfect served with Vanilla Cream or if you prefer crème fraiche and a big mug of tea!
Ingredients:
- 250g unsalted butter plus extra to grease the cake tin
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
- 250g Ground almonds
- 130g polenta
- Grated zest of 4 oranges
- 1 teaspoon Orange Blossom Water
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
Ingredients:
- Seeds from 6 cardamom pods, crushed
- Juice of 4 oranges
- 100g of Honey
- 50ml Orange blossom water
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 160*Fan, 350* F, Gas Mark 4. Butter and line a 20cm round springform baking tin with baking parchment paper.
- Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl ( I use my free standing mixer for this) or a hand mixer will work fine too, and beat until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition and the add the vanilla.
- Tip in the polenta, almonds, orange zest and orange blossom water and baking powder and beat until fully combined. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, make the syrup by adding all of the ingredients into a saucepan, stir will and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes. The syrup will reduce slightly and thicken then set aside.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, prick all over with a skewer and pour the syrup over the cake evenly. Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin and transferring to your serving dish.
- Serve with vanilla infused double cream of crème fraiche and enjoy.
Best of all, this cake is naturally gluten free, yet so tender and flavour packed you’d never know it.
It stays wonderfully moist for up to a week, making it the perfect make ahead treat to brighten grey days and bring a little sunshine to the season.
A slice of golden comfort whenever you need a lift – especially in the depth of January.
I really hope you will give this cake a go and enjoy it. Its one of my new favourite cakes to make and the smell is simply divine!
