Orange Polenta Cake

When Chris from Cooking Around the World announced the current cooking challenge, I liked the idea of travelling to Mexico (purely by means of cook books and online recipes). I have found lots of inspiring dessert recipes including the orange and almond cake as well as the polenta cake.This recipe is something in-between as it uses the ingredients from both cakes plus I had a lovely stash of juicy and sweet blood oranges delivered from Abel and Cole that I wanted to incorporate in the recipe.
So, it is more of a Mexico-inspired recipe rather than an authentic one.

Orange Polenta Cake
3 oranges (including 2 blood oranges)
4 eggs
200g caster sugar
200g butter, melted
100g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds
80g polenta
1 tsp baking powder

juice of 1/2 orange
4 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 blood oranges

Zest 2 oranges. In a big mixing bowl beat the eggs with the caster sugar and orange zest.
Squeeze the juice from 3 oranges. Add 2/3 to the bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, polenta, melted butter and mix well.
Grease the 20cm round cake tin. Pour the mix in the tin and place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C.

Bake for about 50-60mins (check if it's ready with a wooden skewer). I have covered the cake with the foil for the second half of the baking session.
Once ready, let it cool in the tin slightly before taking it out.
Mix the icing sugar with the orange juice (from 1/2 orange) and drizzle all over the top and sides.
Slice two blood oranges and cook them in the sugar syrup made with the remaining orange juice.
Decorate the cake with the orange slices and drizzle the remaining syrup on top.

The polenta gives the cake a slightly different texture, a bit coarse. Plus the top is a bit on the crisp side. My guys loved it. I baked it yesterday, and by now it's almost all gone. I am always happy when Sasha eats my cakes, for me that's the highest seal of approval.

Marvellous Chris from Cooking Around the World continues his culinary trip round the world, stopping in Mexico this time. I'm bringing my Mexico-inspired cake to his judgment.

Oranges seem to be very popular this month in the blogland. Baking queens Karen from Lavender and Lovage (this month's host) and Kate from What Kate Baked have chosen Citrus Fruits for their January Tea Time Treats challenge.