Juicy Orange-Pistachio-Polenta Cake

For mother's day, I surprised my mum with this juicy, gluten- and processed sugar-free cake featuring polenta. It does require a little patience as it has to bake for almost an hour and getting the pistachios out of their shells is also quite time consuming. BUT, this is a cake for a special occasion and for a special person, so I was very happy to invest that effort :)

For the Cake:

• 200g fine Polenta

• 200g Pistachios (unsalted, without shell)

• Zest and Juice of 1 Orange

• 4 Eggs

• 175ml Honey

• 175ml Olive Oil

For the Glaze:

• Juice of 1 Orange (~50ml)

• 50ml Honey

For the Decoration:

• 1 Orange (organic and untreated)

• 150ml Water (enough to cover the oranges)

• 150g Sugar (1:1 with the water)

• 30g ground Pistachios

Method:

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a cake pan with about 19-20cm diameter.

2. Finely chop the pistachios (if you have a food processor or blender that will make things a lot easier).

3. In a large bowl, combine the polenta, pistachios and orange zest.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, oil, and orange juice.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

6. Pour the (very liquid) batter into the cake pan and cover with tinfoil. The cake may take between 30-60 minutes to bake. After 30 minutes, use a toothpick to determine if the cake is ready. The toothpick should then come out clean and the cake shouldn't jiggle anymore. If it is not ready after 30 minutes, check repeatedly until the toothpick comes out clean. If your cake is starting to look brown it may be because of a dark-coloured honey you used. Be patient, the cake will bake :)

For the glaze:

1. Just before the cake is ready, mix the orange juice and honey.

2. While the cake is still warm and in the cake pan, pour the glaze over the cake and let it soak.

For the candied oranges:

1. Thoroughly wash the orange and cut into very thin slices.

2. Mix the sugar and water in a small pot over medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.

3. Simmer the oranges for about 20 minutes at medium-low heat and stir occasionally.

4. Place them on the cake once ready, and sprinkle some remaining pistachio crumbs over the top. :) DONE!