A deliciously dense, moist cornmeal cake flavored with vanilla and orange zest, covered in a show-stopping blood orange pink glaze
I first had this polenta cake when an Italian family friend shared the recipe with my Mom about 15+ years ago. I was in high school, and had no idea what polenta was, but the only thing that mattered was that this cake was SO good, and so different that anything I’d tried before. The unexpected crunch from the cornmeal, and the dense texture that paired so well with fresh fruit, and I was hooked.
I’ve updated the recipe just a bit from the original but reducing the sugar, and adding one of my absolute favorite seasonal flavors: blood oranges! I feel like I wait around all year long for citrus season, and more importantly for the sultry blood oranges that just feel so incredibly special. We just got back from a week long trip to San Diego with the kids, and the only thing I brought back with me was a bag of these oranges. Everyone knew they were absolutely off limits, because I’ve been wanting to make this Blood Orange Polenta cake for weeks.
Unlike most lemon cakes, the citrus isn’t overwhelming here. I add just enough fresh orange zest and juice to the batter, then a little more for the glaze, and it’s the perfect balance of punchy and sweet. I love to serve this cake with tea in the afternoon, or after a lighter dinner. Does that sound like something you can get on board with? Ok, good! Now go out and grab a bag of blood oranges while you still can!
Make sure to tag me @leanne.shor on Instagram if you make this Blood Orange Polenta Cake! I love seeing my recipes come to life! To pin this recipe and save it to your favorite boards, simply Tap any image on this page and the ‘Pin It!’ icon will appear, or click the icon at the end of each post 🙂
xoxo, L
Blood Orange Polenta Cake
A deliciously dense, moist cornmeal cake flavored with vanilla and orange zest, covered in a show-stopping blood orange pink glaze
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs plus one egg yolk
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, medium/coarse ground
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp blood orange zest (from one orange)
- 3 tbsp blood orange juice
- 1 tsp baking powder
Blood Orange Glaze
- 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- juice of one blood orange 1/4-1/3 of a cup
- 1 tsp blood orange zest
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x5" loaf pan well with nonstick cooking spray, then line the pan with parchment for easy removal. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the room temperature butter and powdered sugar together with a hand-mixer (or in a stand mixer) until pale and fluffy.
Add in vanilla extract, orange zest, orange juice, eggs (one at a time), and egg yolk. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cake flour, kosher salt, baking powder, and cornmeal.
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, with the mixer on low. Mix just until fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth out the top with a spatula, and bake for 70-75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze while the cake is cooling. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, orange juice, zest, and salt. Whisk until smooth and you've reached the desired thickness.
Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, and top with more blood orange slices for serving.