Orange and corn cake (gluten free)

I grew up eating a flour less coconut and corn cake made with fresh coconut flesh and coconut milk but recently I started to bake the same flourless cake using oranges instead of coconut, whole baked oranges. The idea to use oranges came a traditions sephardi Jew cake popularized by Claudia Roden an Egyptian chef living in the UK. Claudia Roden is the author of two excellent books A New Book of Middle Eastern Food and the Jewish Food Book.




My orange and corn cake is loosely influence by both the Sephardic orange-and-almond cake by Claudia Roden’s and my Mom's Coconut and corn cake. However, since oranges don't have the same fat content as coconut and since corn flour doesn't have the same fat content as almond flour I added some butter to my version of the recipe to make things right. The result is an amazing perfumed, dense and slightly creamy cake with the amazing texture of corn flour and the strong aroma of cooked oranges.




The batter of this cake is slightly liquid but it bakes perfectly well and you don't have to worry about adding any other type of flour or thickener to the mixture. I highly recommend that you use organic oranges and washe the oranges in warm water before cooking it. I found the most amazing ripe and sweet South African organic oranges at the market here and I was so glad I could make this cake for the weekend.



orange and corn cake (gluten free)

250 grams fine corn flour (or polenta flour)
250 grams sugar
6 medium eggs
2 medium organic oranges (rinsed in warm water)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
75 grams unsalted butter in room temperature
pinch of salt


How:

In saucepan with enough water to cover the fruits, let the oranges boil over medium heat for 1h30 to 2 hours until very tender. Let the fruits to cool completely before using them. Once they are cool cut each fruit in four parts and remove seeds if there is any. 


Preheat oven to 180C and butter well a small round cake pan, use ring-shaped cake pan if you prefer and sprinkle some corn flour on the buttered pan and set aside. 

In the jar of a blender, or food processor, blend the oranges, the corn flour, the sugar and the eggs for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the baking powder and process a little more. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake cake for 45 minutes or until a stick comes out of the cake dry. Let it cool completely before removing from pan.

Serve with some low fat vanilla yogurt.