Torta di Arance, Nocciole e Polenta
Orange, hazelnuts & polenta cake
Calling all my gluten free (GF) friends, you have to make this delicious Torta di arance, nocciole e polenta. It’s so moist & fragrant with oranges & nuts, that you’re not going to want to stop at just one slice! In fact, everyone is going to love it whether they’re gluten intolerant or not.
This is my own recipe with my special twist that incorporates hazelnuts both inside & on top of the cake.
Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻🍳
Torta di arance, nocciole e polenta recipe:
125g chopped hazelnuts (100g for the mixture & rest for the top)
3 Oranges - zest & juice
3 large eggs
100g polenta
200g caster sugar
200g butter - must be soft
Syrup:
75g caster sugar
Juice of 3 oranges
Makes 10-12 slices
1. Zest the oranges & extract the juice & reserve for the syrup later.
2. Grind 10Og of the chopped hazelnuts as finely as you can.
3. Preheat oven to gas 4 or 160C fan.
4. Line the base of a 23 or 24 cm springform cake tin with parchment/greaseproof paper, buttering the sides of the tin.
5. Cream together the butter & sugar in a stand mixer for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Separately mix together your ground hazelnuts & polenta.
7. Add some of this to the mixture plus 1 egg at the time, continually beating until all the eggs & hazelnuts/polenta are thoroughly incorporated on a medium/high setting.
8. To get the fluffy texture it does need to be beaten for at least 5 mins in the mixer.
9. Mix in the orange zest.
10. Using a spoon pour the mixture in the tin.
11. Bake in the oven for 40 mins. To ensure it’s cooked test with a skewer.
12. Take out, leaving the cake in the tin & prick the whole surface with a toothpick or cake skewer.
13. Make the syrup - boil the juice of the oranges & sugar, then simmer for a few minutes.
14. Spoon the syrup over the cake until it’s all incorporated.
15. Let the cake cool completely before removing it carefully from the tin.
16. Scatter with chopped hazelnuts.
17. Cut a slice - I’ve served mine with a dollop of 0% fat greek yoghurt or you can serve it with mascarpone if you prefer.
18. The cake can be stored in a container in a cool place for 4 days, but I honestly don’t think it would last that long!
