Orange and Coconut Polenta Cake

This is one of my favourite creations. Really moist (love/hate that word) and FULL of flavours that just go on and on. Smells amazing too. It's gluten and dairy free and uses coconut sugar so has caramel-ly depth to it. I used eggs from a friend's chickens and most of the ingredients are from local independent shops - except the oranges which I had to get from a supermarket. 

I originally made this as a lemon and coconut cake with postachios on top for mummy but works so well as an orange version too. I used light olive oil and a splash of almond milk as the fat content. The combination of polenta, ground almonds and desiccated coconut make a delectable texture and flavour. I recently made this cake for a parent at school and I believe it went down very well at her birthday lunch.... Happy Birthday! 

You will need:

9inch spring form cake tin

Oven at 180 degrees c

Scales

Electric hand whisk 

2 large bowls.

For the cake:

150ml light olive oil

200g coconut sugar

120g dry fine polenta

80g desiccated coconut 

100g ground almonds

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3 large eggs

Zest of 1 1/2 large oranges

For the syrup:

1 1/2 oranges - juice of

100g coconut sugar

To decorate:

Toasted flakes almonds

Toasted nuts

Extra desiccated coconut

Any fruit or berries

Prepare your tin by greasing with a little olive oil and line the bottom with baking parchment. Heat your oven

Mix together the oil and sugar. In a separate bowl mix the polenta, almonds, baking powder and coconut.

Add 1 egg and a third of the dry mix to the sugar and oil, mixing well each time. Add your zest and a splash of almond milk. Mix again.

Spoon into your tine and bake for 25-35 minutes until the sides are just coming away from the tin and it is springy to the touch. 

Make your syrup by melting the sugar and juice together over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Leave to cool a little before pricking holes all over and pouring your syup over the top. Leave to cool completely in the tin, preferably over night. 

Carefully remove from the tin and transfer to your chosen plate. Decorate as you wish with flaked almonds, other nuts, seeds, coconut or berries.

Enjoy with a glass of champagne! 

Vanilla almond layer cake with a ginger honey syrup

A couple of weeks ago a friend asked me to recreate a cake she had seen on Pinterest and I gladly accepted the task. I adore baking and there is no other way I like to spend an hour or two. Sadly, however, our new cottage does not have an oven or hob so actual baking is a bit of a no-no. Luckily (for us) my long suffering Mother lives about a second walk away and was forced to give up her cooker for an afternoon. The cake was to be multi-layered with a simple but pretty filling and topping. I made a creme Chantilly to sandwich the cakes together and a ginger honey to drizzle over the top to finish. Chopped pistachios, fresh juicy figs and physalis bedecked the cake. It really did look pretty and a very summery cake for alfresco dining. The cake was actually to be made for a photo-shoot and we didn't get to eat it until about 10 or 11 at night. Which is probably a good thing as the ginger honey had seeped into the sponge layers making it very moist and sticky. It would look very pretty with red currents, passion fruit or pomegranate too. This would go well with champagne or a cup of tea - so versatile! This is wheat free and I am working on a version with coconut sugar. I used unrefined golden caster sugar this time. You can use any type of milk you like, I used full fat organic cow's milk but almond or coconut would work well too. The butter (I used grass fed organic) could be subbed with good quality coconut oil but be careful with the liquid quantities if you do this - you may want to add a little less milk. I used buckwheat flour which this is ok for those with a wheat or gluten intolerance but I would not recommend using this for those with Celiac disease unless you know you do not have adverse reactions to it. Some people do not have any problems using buckwheat but I would strongly recommend using a different gluten free alternative if you are unsure. If you do make it and with any alterations or changes, do let me know! I am always tinkering with recipes and would love to hear how you would make this delicious cake. 

You will need:

3 8 inch cake tins, greased and lined

Mixing bowl

Electric hand whisk 

For the cake:

8 egg whites - use the egg yolks to make mayonnaise, ice-cream, hollandaise etc.!

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup ground almonds

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 2/3 cup unrefined golden caster sugar

1 tbsp gluten free baking powder

3/4 cup grass fed organic butter

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1 1/4 cup organic full fat milk (or almond/coconut/rice milk)

1 1/2 tsp good quality vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod's seeds

For the cream filling:

500ml organic double cream - you could use coconut cream or coyo yoghurt instead.

1 vanilla pod - seeds scraped out (I always pop the empty pods in with my sugar or almond flour)

For the ginger honey:

1 cup of organic - preferably raw - honey

3 - 4 inches fresh ginger 

1/2 cup water

Fresh fruit of your choice to decorate.

Prepare your tins and pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C. 

In a large mixing bowl measure out your flours, sugar and baking powder and stir. Next add in your melted coconut oil and butter and mix again. 

Separate your egg whites one at a time so that you don't accidentally let any shell in. Add one egg white to the mix and mix well after each addition. It should be quite frothy and thick by the 8th one! Finally add the milk and vanilla and mix again until just incorporated. 

Pour into the prepared tins - try to get them as even as possible so that the layer are equal on the finished cake. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and check that they are cooked with a tooth pick. They should be just golden but the toothpick should come out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tins over a wire rack. 

Whilst the cakes are cooling, make the ginger honey. Peel the stick of ginger and slice finely. Place your honey, water and sliced ginger in a pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and then take off the heat. Leave to steep for at least an hour - longer is better. When you are ready to serve, fish out the ginger and discard. 

To make the cream filling simply whisk the cream with the vanilla until just thick enough to stay in its shape. If you over beat cream it goes grainy and horrid and doesn't look very pretty!

When you are ready to assemble the cake turn out the layers and place the least attractive one (sorry but there almost always is an ugly sister) on the bottom. Use a good amount of cream for the two layers as you only need a small dollop for the top. I used just under half for each filling. Carefully place each layer on top of the last and the final dollop of cream can be roughly smoothed on top. Using your choice of fruit - I really recommend figs at this time of year - place on the top of the cake and around the bottom along with the chopped pistachios. Now you can drizzle the honey over the top of the cake. Use as much or as little as you like. It is nice to have a little extra left over in a small jug so that people can add more should they wish. I really hope you enjoy this cake.