Polenta and Plum Syrup Cake
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Vegetarian: Yes
Ingredients:
- 125g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 220g caster sugar
- 250ml Greek yogurt
- 3 eggs, separated
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 125g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 125g Polenta
- 55g ground almonds
- 80ml milk
- blanched halved almonds
- 200g soft dried plums/prunes, stones removed and halved
For the Syrup:
- 100g granulated sugar
- juice of 2 oranges
How to cook it:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) mark 4
- Grease and line an 8½ inch cake tin with baking paper
- Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk with electric beaters. Beat in the yogurt, egg yolks, orange zest (reserve juice for syrup) and cinnamon to make a batter
- Sift the flour with the baking powder and mix together in a bowl with the Merchant Gourmet Polenta and ground almonds. Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix to combine. Add the milk
- In another bowl whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, and fold into the batter. Pour into the lined cake tin. Decorate the top with the blanched almonds and halves of dried plums/prunes
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is golden and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin
- To make the syrup, put the sugar, orange juice and 250ml water in a small pan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring up to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes
- Pour the hot syrup over the cake and leave to cool