It is a single layer cake and it is brushed with a blood layer of orange syrup, it contains a nice tender texture and it holds on really well. Start by putting butter in your pot and add milk and heat it (you do want to bring the milk into a full simmer). Next in a separate bowl add in your cornmeal (simply dried and grind corn) and grab a whisk and start the absorption process which lands structure to the cake.

Add into the cornmeal the milk butter heated mixture and using your whisk, whisk your cornmeal as you add in your milk and butter mixture keep mixing the mixture right away. You can’t add cold eggs into the mixture because you will end up with scrambled eggs. To cool it up add in your sugar and mix it up using a wire whisk, the heat from the milk will melt the sugar a little bit. Next crack your eggs in a different bowl and add the eggs into the mixture one at a time whisking them in after each addition.

Next, infuse in some orange zest to the mixture and then add in ground almond to a different bowl and to it add baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and combine them with your hands to in cooperating the baking powder evenly and mix it into the wet ingredients and whisk using a wire whisk. Line your baking tin using a parchment paper and use a spatula to give the mixture the last stir as you pour the mixture into your greased pan and place the pan on top of the baking sheet to avoid leakage.

Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 350Fand takes about 45 minutes to cook and give it time to expand and set. Once baked remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack and test it using a skewer and insert it in the center if it comes out clean it is ready. Next make a syrup with blood orange juice in a pan and add sugar and stir it up as it is heated and bring it up to a simmer.

Using the skewer poke random holes into the cake to allow the flow-through and simply pour the syrup on top and let the cake cool completely within the pan. Once it is cool remove it from the baking tin and cut a slice and enjoy.

Ingredients;

Cake;

  • 1 cup (250 mL) milk
  • ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (165 g) cornmeal
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar (caster sugar)
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated blood orange zest
  • 1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder (gluten-free, if needed)
  • ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
  • pinch ground cinnamon

Syrup;

  • ½ cup (125 mL) blood orange juices (about 2 oranges)
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (caster sugar)

Instructions;

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
  2. Heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted and poured this over the cornmeal in a large mixing bowl, whisking while adding (it will thicken up quickly.) Whisk in the sugar and add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition. Stir in the zest.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir the ground almond with the baking powder, salt & cinnamon and add this to the batter, stirring until blended.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
  5. To make the syrup, bring the blood orange juice and sugar to a full boil. While the cake is still hot from the oven, poke holes in it with a skewer and then spoon the syrup over the cake (it will soak in quickly). Allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving.
  6. The cake will keep, well-wrapped, at room temperature for 3 days.