Читать книгу Home Baking - Rachel Allen - Страница 26

Polenta, orange and pistachio cake with orange syrup

This gluten-free dessert is great for summer entertaining. Serve a slice on its own for a casual tea in the garden or add a good dollop of crème fraîche for a delicious dinner-party dessert. The syrup makes it so moist that you can prepare the cake in advance without the worry of it tasting stale.

Serves 8

225g (8oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

125g (4½oz) polenta, plus ½ tbsp for dusting

225g (8oz) caster sugar

3 eggs

zest of 1 orange and juice of ½ orange

50g (1¾oz) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

200g (7oz) ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

25 pistachio nuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped

For the orange syrup

75g (2½oz) caster sugar juice of 1 orange

20cm (8in) springform cake tin with a high side

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas mark 3. Grease the side of the tin, and line the base with baking parchment. Dust the side of the tin with the ½ tablespoon polenta. Put the butter in a large bowl and cream it with a wooden spoon until soft, or use an electric beater on slow or a food processor.

2. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the orange zest and juice. Add the pistachio nuts, ground almonds, polenta and baking powder, and fold in to combine.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 55–70 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If necessary, quickly put a piece of foil on top of the cake after 45 minutes of cooking, to prevent it from getting too brown.

4. To make the syrup, put the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan over a medium heat, and stir together until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, take the syrup off the heat and transfer to a heatproof jug.

5. While the cake is still warm, prick the top in a swirl pattern using a cocktail stick. Drizzle over the syrup.

6. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, then carefully lift it out and remove the paper. Put on to a serving plate or cake stand. Scatter the pistachio nuts on top and serve.