Orange Cardamom Polenta Cake With Chocolate Sauce Food

ORANGE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a round 23cm cake tin with baking parchment. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Once the mixture is combined, add all the dry ingredients and the zest and juice after you have measured off 100ml for the glaze.
• Transfer the mixture to the tin, spread evenly, then cook for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
• To make the glaze, put the juice and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Drizzle the orange glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Serve with Lemon ice cream, below.

MOROCCAN ORANGE & CARDAMOM CAKE

Steps:

• Put the whole oranges in a pan, cover with water and boil, covered, for 1 hr until a knife easily pierces them. If the oranges won't stay under the water, place a small saucepan lid directly on top to keep them submerged. Remove the oranges from the water and cool, then quarter and remove any seeds and obvious pith where the stalk was. Blitz the oranges to a rough purée with a hand blender or in a food processor and put in a large bowl.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and line the base and sides of a 21cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking parchment. Beat the cardamom, xylitol and eggs into the orange purée, then mix the ground almonds with the polenta, flour and baking powder, and fold in until well blended. Scrape the mixture into the tin, level the top and bake for 40 mins.
• After 40 minutes, scatter over the almonds, quickly return to the oven and bake 20-25 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool. Serve sliced as a cake, or with Greek yogurt or cream as a dessert.

ORANGE CARDAMOM POLENTA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the orange zest and beat for another minute or two to pulverize the zest in order to release the natural orange oil. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Break open the cardamom pods and grind the little black seeds into a powder with a pestle and morter and add to the mixer. Grind the almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cornmeal and continue pulse-choping the almonds into a fine crumb. Add, along with the baking powder to the mixture. Juice the oranges and pour into the mixer. Spoon into a 9-inch springform tin lined with parchment paper. Smooth the top with a rhubber spatula. Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 50 minutes. Combine the orange and lemon juice with the honey and set aside until the cake has finished baking. For the chocolate sauce, combine in a saucepan the chocolate, cocoa and water. Heat gently to melt the chocolate. Once melted add the sugar, corn syrup and butter. Stir to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add vanilla. Once the cake is cooked, remove from the oven and pour over the syrup. A light trick of the trade: Never pour a hot syrup on a hot cake, or a cold syrup on a cold cake as you will end up with a soggy cake. But a cold syrup on a hot cake with yield perfect results. Serve the cake in wedges with a ladle of chocolate sauce on the plate. Creme fraiche is a welcome addition as it adds richness whilst its acidity balances the sweet syrup. The citris-aromatic cake works well with the sublte flavors within the chocolate. Different brands of chocolate yield very different results. Some of my favorites are: Schphenberger for its fruit, Callebaut with its coffee back note, and Green and Blacks which has both flavors mentioned.