Vegan Upside-down Blood Orange Polenta Cake
By OcadoLife
Published on 23 December 2024
“This Vegan Upside-down Blood Orange Polenta Cake is perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy, with a shiny glaze for extra wow factor,” says Philip Khoury, head pastry chef at Harrods and author of plant-based baking bible A New Way To Bake. Time and servings
1 hr 30 minsTotal time
10Servings
20 minsPrep time
1 hr 10 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 3 blood oranges, 1 scrubbed and left whole, 2 peeled and finely sliced
- 180ml gluten-free plant-based milk (gluten free if required)
- 40ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the tin
- 200g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp and 75g for the glaze
- 200g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 120g polenta
Method
Step 1
Put the whole orange in a small pan of water. Simmer over a low heat for 30 mins until tender. Take the orange out and cool (reserving the water). Chop into pieces.Step 2
In a blender, blitz the chopped orange, milk and olive oil to a purée.Step 3
Combine the 200g sugar, almonds, baking powder, bicarb, cinnamon and polenta in a mixing bowl, then stir in the purée. Cover; rest at room temp for 1 hr.Step 4
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a 20cm sandwich or springform tin with baking paper and lightly oil the sides. Sprinkle the base with 2tbsp sugar, then arrange the orange slices on top in an even layer, fanning out from the centre. Pour over the batter; bake for 35-40 mins until golden and slightly domed. Leave to cool fully in the tin on a wire rack.Step 5
Meanwhile, make a glaze. Simmer 60ml reserved orange water with 75g sugar for 2 mins or until it just thickens but not to a thick syrup. Set aside to cool completely.Step 6
Run a knife around the edge of the cake to release it. Place a plate over the top and confidently turn it out to reveal the fruit. Brush the glaze over the fruit and either serve warm or leave to cool.Step 7
Recipe Tip: Allow extra time for cooling