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Orange Olive Oil Cake
Orange Olive Oil Cake is a modern Fusion recipe for a n orange-flavoured almond and polenta cake with rosemary drizzle that's a blend of Mediterranean and North African influences. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Fusion version of: Orange Olive Oil Cake.
prep time
25 minutes
cook time
90 minutes
Total Time:
115 minutes
Serves:
8–10
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesFusion RecipesFusion Recipes
I love orange cakes, and particularly polenta-based orange cakes, which my husband introduced me to. This is a Mediterranean twist on those classic North African cakes that uses olive oil as the oil component of the cake instead of the more typical butter.
Ingredients:
1 large whole seedless orange
finely-grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
225ml olive oil, plus extra for the tin
200g ground almonds
120g polenta
1 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free if you need to)
3 large eggs
225g golden caster sugar
natural yogurt or crème fraîche, to serve (optional)
For the rosemary drizzle:
100g golden caster sugar
½ orange, juiced
½ lemon, juiced
6 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground
4 rosemary sprigs
Method:
Bring a pan of water to the boil. Lower the orange into it with a slotted spoon and cover with a lid, leaving a gap so that a little steam can still escape. Boil gently for 30 minutes, then remove from the water and allow to cool slightly. Quarter the orange and remove any pips, then transfer to a blender or food processor, add the lemon juice and zest and blitz to a smooth purée.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan/355F/gas mark 4). Oil the sides of a 23cm (9 in) round cake tin and line the bottom of the tin with baking parchment.
Sift together the almonds, polenta, baking powder and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl and mix together thoroughly. Whisk the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until really pale and fluffy (about 4 minutes). With the mixer still whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil in a slow, steady, stream so that the mixture doesn’t split. Once incorporated, scrape in the orange purée and whisk to combine, then add the dry ingredients, combining until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.
Cool in the tin on a wire rack while you prepare the syrup. Combine the sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, cardamom and 30ml water in a pan. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then add the rosemary. Turn off the heat and allow to infuse for at least 30 mins.
Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake, then pour over the syrup. Allow to stand for 5 mins or so, then slice and serve accompanied by natural yogurt or crème fraîche, if you like.
