Cornmeal and orange cake

Let me say that I love polenta. In winter it is one of my favorite dishes. A bowl of creamy polenta with tomato sauce and grated cheese on a cold night, it´s really tempting.

But this blog is about sweets things, which is what I know, so I will not put the recipe for polenta.
But the cornmeal was turning round my head.


Cornmeal it's not something very much used in baking, is for rustic preparations. Maybe over a bread or crackers for decoration. 
The cornmeal we find in supermarkets is the precooked, ready in a minute. It's yellow and coarse-But that's what I wanted: color and texture.

 

This cake, with the texture of a pudding, but let´s keep the idea of ​​cake, is moist, light, and aromatic.
Need more advantages? It is super easy. With a single big bowl, a cup and whisk you are ready.

Cornmeal and orange cake
Ingredients
Eggs 2 
Neutral oil 1/2 cup
Sugar  3/4 cup (or 170 g) 
Orange juice  1/2 cup (or 120 g) 
Cake flour  1 1/4 cup (or 200 g) 
Cornmeal  1/2 cup (or 80 g) 
Salt 1/2 tspBaking powder 2 tsp 
More sugar to sprinkle, 2 tbsp


Procedure
- Preheat oven to 180 ° C
- Prepare a mold of 20 cm in diameter, buttered and floured
- Put in the bowl: eggs, oil, juice and sugar. Whisk to homogenize
- Add the rest together: cake flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Mix with a whisk until break up the lumps. Don´t overmix.
- Pour in the pan and sprinkle sugar over to make a crispy crust.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or when toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan and then unmold

 

What else can be done with this round pudding? Put some fruit in the dough, or make an upsidedown cake with peaches, plums, or pineapple, cut it in half and fill with jam, whipped cream or pastry cream.


I wanted to fill it with some jam, but needed something else. Some cream.
The first idea was whipped cream, something simple. But better something more unctuous, not so airy, like mascarpone. I rememberedthat I had cream cheese in the fridge. And that was, a around idea.


Cream cheese adds a sour taste, not too strong but that goes very well with citrus. This smooth cream contrasts with the grains of cornmeal, and makes a fresh cake, for a hot summer.

 

Filling and topping

Orange marmalade  200 g (half jar) 
Cream 100 cc

Sugar 1 Tbp

Cream cheese 1 Tbp

- Cut the cake in half and fill with jam, gently, because it crumbles easily

- Cover with the other half

- Whip cream with sugar, until half a point

- Add the cream cheese and continue beating until firm

- Cover the cake with the cream

- Decorate with the marmalade diluted with a little bit of water, so it runs easily from the spoon

 You don´t know how good it is. I cannot believe myself