Alison Lambert -taste of my life

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POLENTA, COCONUT AND MARMALADE CAKE

This cake has derived from the Middle East with vibrant perfumed orange, tangy marmalade and sweet sticky and moist syrup!

It really does brighten up a dull day!



POLENTA, COCONUT AND MARMALADE CAKE

makes 1x 500g loaf tin

90ml sunflower oil
120ml orange juice
80g marmalade (fine-cut or without peel)
2 medium free-range eggs
grated zest 1 orange
35g caster sugar
35g desiccated coconut
45g plain flour
90g fine polenta or semolina
1 Tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder

Method
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan.

Whisk together the oil, orange juice, marmalade, eggs and orange zest until the marmalade dissolves.
In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and add to the wet.  Mix until all is well combined.  The mixture should be runny

Grease and line your baking tin with greaseproof paper.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.

Near the end of baking time, place the syrup ingredients in a small pot and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.  As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, start spooning or brushing the hot syrup over the surface; you'll need to do this in a few stages, allowing the syrup to soak into the cake for a minute or two, before you carry on with more.  Make sure you use up all the syrup and it is all absorbed.

Once the cake is cooled down a little, remove from tin and leave to cool completely.  It is delicious served on its own or even better with a little Greek yoghurt.

Wrap the cakes well in baking paper or foil and they should keep for at least five days.  Apparently it gets better the next day  or so.  To be honest i have never managed to keep one long enough to find out!