Go Back
–+ servings
orange polenta cake with orange juice in the back.
Print Recipe
5 from 9 votes

The Best Polenta Orange Cake

Amazing polenta orange cake! It is soaked with syrup, so soft, moist, and delicious! The best sweet polenta cake I have ever had!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 238kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Casserole dish 11x7 inches/ 28x18 cm

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 1 cup medium cornmeal Note 2 150
  • ¼ cup fine/soft semolina
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange peel optional (Note 3)
  • 3 large eggs
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1¾ cup Greek yogurt divided
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • confectioner's sugar to dust
  • 1 orange to decorate, optional

For the orange syrup:

  • juice of 2-3 oranges about scant ½ cup/ 100 ml fresh juice
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
US - EU

Instructions

Sweet polenta cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Butter a casserole dish.
  • Mix the cornmeal, semolina, baking powder, and grated orange peel in a bowl. Set aside.
    1 cup medium cornmeal + ¼ 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 ¼ cup/ 50 g of the yogurt until pale and thick.
    3 large eggs
    yolks + ⅔ 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.
    ½ cup vegetable oil + remaining yogurt + ¼ cup whole milk
  • Slowly add the cornmeal – 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 ½ cup/ 100 ml juice. Sieve the juice into a small pot, add the sugar and the lemon juice.
    juice of 2-3 oranges + ¼ 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 ¾ 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

  1. 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).
  2. Polenta: Look for a sort with a short cooking time – mine needed only 10 minutes.
  3. Orange zest: From an organic, unwaxed orange.

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g