Made with finely ground cornmeal, fragrant orange zest and ripe figs, this recipe is beautifully rustic and gluten-free! Welcome fall to the kitchen with Fig and Orange Polenta Cake.
This cake simply tastes like home; inviting aromas waft through the kitchen while this beauty bakes. And who doesn’t love orange zest in their desserts? It adds a necessary brightness to a heavyweight cake. The pop of lovely color is just a bonus. I’m a lover of serious citrus flavor and this recipe delivers just that.
Figs were a no brainer for me; tis the season for gorgeous, fat ones and I always grab as many as I can this time of year. The kadota variety’s flesh is a deep red-amber color with less sweetness than the average fig, making it perfect for baking. This polenta cake recipe is simple, beautiful, and will appeal to picky dessert-eaters who don’t want something overly sweet.
Grab some figs from the local farmer’s market or chain and get to baking! This cake proves that the simplest things are often the most delicious. Make and let me know how it goes in the comments. You can always see what I’m cooking up on Instagram– just use #ironsistereats
Fig and Orange Polenta Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups gluten- free all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- zest and juice two oranges
- 6-8 figs sliced
- confectioner's sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and line 8" inch cake pan with parchment. Beat butter, olive oil, and sugar until creamy. Add juice from oranges and blend.
- Whisk together flour, polenta, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add a small amount of polenta mixture to wet ingredients, followed by one egg. Alternate between adding dry ingredients and eggs, while continuing to mix. Fold in orange zest and most of sliced figs, leaving some to add to top of batter decoratively. Scrape batter into prepared pan and decorate with remaining sliced fig.
- Bake for 38-40 minutes; cake will be brown along edges and will pull away from pan. A cake tester prick will emerge mostly clean. Let cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar (optional).
Notes
- Cake batter will be very thick- make sure to spread it evenly into pan.
- Any orange can be used, but I used mandarin for this recipe. Be mindful that 2 small oranges will equal 1 large orange in terms of juice.
Other great gluten-free desserts: