Study, Work, Family and Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

In between going to school, work, studying and juggling a social life, a boyfriend and a family I have somehow managed to cook a lot of treats lately.

I recently had a job interview with a gentleman who told me that I was over qualified for the job and that I should be looking at management positions within the hospitality industry. I have been in the hospitality industry for a long time and I have seen it all. Since I am studying education I am trying to avoid Hospitality all together. But it isn't all bad news, this particular businessman asked me to supply him with organic, sugar free, dairy free, egg free and gluten free goodies.

I have always had a special interest in clean eating, palaeolithic diets and allergy specific foods ever since my first job as a trainee at an organic café.

I supplied some samples for him and he chose the ones he wanted to sell in his store.

The first was an Orange and Almond Polenta Cake

·         150gm butter, at room temp

·         2/3 c caster sugar

·         1 orange, rind finely grated

·         6 eggs

·         200gm almond meal

·         180gm polenta (corn meal, corn grits)

Orange Syrup:

·         1 cup orange juice

·         1 cup caster sugar

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm (base) round cake pan. Beat butter, sugar and orange rind with an electric beater, for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. (The mixture will look a little curdled at this stage.)

Stir in almond meal and cornmeal. Spoon into the pan. Bake 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack.

For the syrup, stir the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 10 minutes or until thickens.

Use a fine skewer to pierce holes all over the cake top. Pour about 2/3 of the warm syrup over warm cake. Slice and serve with extra syrup.

*TIP:  To produce a lighter cake, separate the egg whites. Use the yolks in the butter and sugar mix and in a separate bowl whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the dry mix to the butter mix, and then gently fold the egg whites through the cake mix.

*ANOTHER TIP: You can make a basic sugar syrup with 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Stir in sugar over a low heat then add the orange that was used for the rind then boil.

I also made a Pumpkin Fruit loaf, which has now become a staple in the Mac household and an Italian Polenta and Ricotta Cake with drunken raisins. Both of them a quite delicious. 

Miss Mac xxx