Amazing polenta orange cake! It is soaked with syrup, so soft, moist, and delicious! The best sweet polenta cake I have ever had!
Thisย polenta orange cakeย (also-known as malai dulce โ sweet cornmeal - in Romanian) is the end of a long quest after a sweet and delicious recipe made with polenta.
Ingredients: 13 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 12 pieces | Difficulty: Easy
Iโve made many polenta cakes over the years, searching for the one I would like, the one I imagined so many times when reading some recipes. And this is it - the best orange and polenta cake recipe! Who says polenta is only for making savory dishes?
And if you would like to check more orange dessert recipes, check out Orange Drizzle Cake and Orange Tiramisu.
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Recipe ingredients
Polenta: I usedย medium cornmeal or polentaย withย a short cooking time; the instructions on the package indicated 10 minutes of cooking time. Choosing a cornmeal type that doesnโt need to be cooked for a long time helps against the grittiness you will experience if you use coarse cornmeal. Learn How to Cook Basic Polenta or Mamaliga.
- Not corn flour, which is completely fine and smooth.
Semolina: For the same reason, I chose aย fine/ soft semolinaย kind.
- I live in Germany, and there are two sorts of semolina here: the coarse/hard one that I use to make dumplings for soup and the fine/soft kind used to make semolina porridge or semolina desserts, for instance.
Oranges: Choose unwaxed oranges, wash them with hot water, and dry them well before zesting. You can also bake the cake with blood oranges.
Oil: A neutral-tasting kind of oil, like canola or very mild sunflower oil. Donโt use olive oil or anything else with a pungent taste. Make these Apple Muffins with Oil.
See the recipe card for detailed instructions and full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make orange polenta cake?
Orange polenta cake:
- Dry ingredients: Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated orange peel in a small bowl. Set aside (1).
- Eggs: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract ยผ cup of the yogurt until pale and thick (2).
- Add the vegetable oil in a slow stream while beating all the time. Add the rest of the yogurt and beat for about 1 minute. Add the milk and mix shortly (3).
- Slowly add the cornmeal โ semolina mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing with a regular eggbeater/whisk this time (4).
- Fold in the egg whites carefully (6). Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin (7).
- Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Orange syrup:
- Juice and sieve the juice into a small saucepan; add the sugar and the lemon juice. Heat on medium heat. When it starts to boil, remove it immediately. You should have a relatively thin syrup (8).
- Once the polenta orange cake is ready, poke holes all over with a toothpick.
- Pour the syrup all over the top of the cake and let the cake cool completely in the dish (9).
Finish:
- Cut the cake into squares, remove them carefully from the baking dish, place them on a serving plate, and sprinkle with icing sugar. Decorate with orange slices if you wish.
Tip
You might not need all the syrup to soak the polenta orange cake; I had a little leftover, but not much. Use as much as necessary and make sure to soak a bit more around the edges, should they be a little drier than the rest of the polenta dessert.
Recipe FAQs
A finer type of cornmeal/polenta with a short cooking time. This is important. Otherwise, the sweet polenta cake might be too gritty. Choose a sort with 10 minutes of cooking time.
The same goes for the semolina; use a soft/fine type.
Yes, you can make the orange polenta cake one day ahead; leave it to cool in the baking dish. Once cool, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and keep it at room temperature until the next day.
Serve the polenta orange cake with whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or crรจme Fraiche stirred with a bit of brown sugar. Or try it with some ice cream.
Storage
Store leftovers for up to one day on the counter and 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freeze leftover pieces on a plate. Once solid, transfer to freezer bags and freeze for 2-3 months. Defrost on the counter. You can refresh the pieces shortly in the oven.
The Best Polenta Orange Cake
Equipment
- Casserole dish 11x7 inches/ 28x18 cm
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup medium cornmeal Note 2 150
- ยผ cup fine/soft semolina
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel optional (Note 3)
- 3 large eggs
- โ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1ยพ cup Greek yogurt divided
- ยฝ cup vegetable oil
- ยผ cup whole milk
- confectioner's sugar to dust
- 1 orange to decorate, optional
For the orange syrup:
- juice of 2-3 oranges about scant ยฝ cup/ 100 ml fresh juice
- ยผ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Sweet polenta cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ยฐF/ 180ยฐC. Butter a casserole dish.
- Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.1 cup medium cornmeal + ยผ cup fine/soft semolina + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- Eggs: Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract, and scant ยผ cup/ 50 g of the yogurt until pale and thick. 3 large eggs yolks + โ cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar + some of the yogurt
- Add the vegetable oil in a slow stream while beating constantly. Add the rest of the yogurt and beat for about 1 minute. Add the milk and mix shortly. ยฝ cup vegetable oil + remaining yogurt + ยผ cup whole milk
- Slowly add the cornmeal โ semolina mixture, mixing with a regular egg beater/whisk this time.
- Fold in the egg whites carefully.
- Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Orange syrup:
- In the meantime, make the orange syrup. Juice the oranges until you have about ยฝ cup/ 100 ml juice. Sieve the juice into a small pot, add the sugar and the lemon juice. juice of 2-3 oranges + ยผ cup sugar + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- When it starts to boil, remove it immediately, you should have a relatively thin syrup.
- Poke cake: When baked, take the cake out of the oven and prick it all over with a toothpick.
- Soak cake: Pour about ยพ of the syrup all over the cake. Add a bit more around the edges, should they be drier than the rest of the cake.
- Cool completely in the dish. Cut the cake into squares, remove carefully from the baking dish, and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Decorate with orange wedges if you wish.1 orange + confectioner's sugar
Notes
- Measurements: A digital kitchen scale will give you the most precise measure, ensuring the best bake possible (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
- Polenta: Look for a sort with a short cooking time โ mine needed only 10 minutes.
- Orange zest: From an organic, unwaxed orange.
Sissi says
Adina, you are amazing! You should write a book about polenta! Your recipes are so creative! I love this orange cake idea as much as savoury dishes.
Laura Dembowski says
Cornmeal can definitely add that grit to cakes that is just unpleasant. I always use superfine and make sure there isn't too much in a recipe. The best thing I made with cornmeal was a blackberry buckle. Oh, man, was it good.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
Doesn't it feel so good to finally find the recipe you love?! Sounds like it was a lot of testing and a lot of hard work to bring us this cake - and it looks SO worth it in my opinion! Looks so light and fresh and that orange syrup? Oh yum!!! Way to stick with it - you found a winner for sure! ???
grace says
this cake looks to have an amazing texture! i think cornmeal is very underused as a dessert ingredient. ๐
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I've never had polenta in a cake before!! This is another great post on polenta, girlfriend! LOVE the orange syrup here! Looks delicious! Cheers!
Allie says
Hi Adina - you sure get five stars for all your attempts to give us the perfect polenta cake. Seriously, I am SO impressed. Thanks for not giving up. You must be tickled. This cake is absolutely gorgeous and I loved hearing about its smooth taste with no grittiness. I have some cornmeal in the cupboard but I must check if it is the right kind that does not need to be cooked for long. Your pictures are beautiful as always, nicely done!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I have never tried a cornmeal cake! I will need to give this recipe a try. I love the orange here!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
So bright and beautiful...and I love how moist and tender crumb is..