Blood orange olive oil polenta cake

If you like eating cake for breakfast, keep reading. This Mediterranean tea cake has serious Italian breakfast vibes. It’s got polenta, almond flour, Greek yogurt, olive oil, and citrus (Vitamin C!). Lots of good stuff. It’s hearty with a nice dense crumb and it’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s not too sweet either.

My friend Sadie gifted me some lovely blood orange olive oil, which I used here for extra citrus flavor, but regular olive oil will be just fine too. I love baking with olive oil because it adds moisture to cakes, as do almond flour and Greek yogurt. That’s helpful since some polenta cakes can otherwise feel a little dry. This one isn’t, but if you want, you could top it with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla Greek yogurt.

I made this with blood oranges because they’re in season right now, but you could use any fruit for the topping. Grapefruit, regular oranges or fresh berries would be awesome too.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour plus more for greasing cake pan
• 3/4 cup + polenta or cornmeal
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed or storebought is fine, but use regular oranges for this; blood orange juice will turn your cake pink)
• 2 flax eggs (see note)
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely grated orange or blood orange zest
• 1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
• 3 blood oranges, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices, with peels removed

Note: To make each flax egg, mix 3 tablespoons warm water with 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and let sit for 10 minutes. This recipe uses 2 flax eggs so you’ll need to double this.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease and flour a round springform cake pan. I like using butter for greasing cake pans, as it helps the cake form a nice golden crust and release from the pan easily.
2. In a large pan, whisk together polenta, flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and orange zest for 1 minute. This will help release the oils in the orange peel and add more flavor to your cake! Add in yogurt, milk, olive oil, orange juice, flax egg, and orange extract (if using). Whisk until well combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together gently until well combined and no large lumps remain.
5. Pour batter in cake pan and top with blood orange slices. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. (Crumbs are fine, as the cake will set more as it cools, but you don’t want any raw batter.)
6. Let the cake cool for an hour. Slice and serve with tea or coffee. Top with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla Greek yogurt, if desired. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for upto 1 week.