Blood Orange Polenta Drizzle Cake

I have always been a little bit in love with no-frill loaf cakes since they’re perfect for everyday occasions and you can leave your piping bags packed away. They may be simple and easy to make, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. To the contrary, they often provide a great opportunity to try out some unique flavor combos without the work that goes into a layer cake. Take this Blood Orange Polenta Cake, for instance. It combines polenta’s coarser texture and sweet corn flavor with bright, citrusy blood orange.

One great thing about loaf cakes is that they usually come together in one bowl and this one is no exception. It’s a thick batter, made up of butter, sugar, eggs, regular flour, polenta, and blood orange zest. The flour keeps the polenta in balance, so it’s still a fairly light crumb, but one with a beautiful texture.

The best part just may be the glaze that you pour over the cake when it comes out of the oven. It’s not a thick glaze, rather, it’s the type that soaks into the cake and flavors every bite with a little something extra.

In this case, it’s a unique mixture of blood orange juice, lemon juice, nutmeg, and powdered sugar and it’s one you absolutely don’t want to miss.

Blood Orange Polenta Drizzle Cake

45 minutes to prepare serves 10

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup fine polenta
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Zest and juice of 1 blood orange
  • pinch of salt
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more as needed

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 6x11-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated.
  3. Add flour, polenta, baking powder, orange zest, and salt and stir until combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together blood orange juice, lemon juice, nutmeg, and powdered sugar, then spoon over cake and serve. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Olive Magazine.

Whizzco for LPE