Let Her Eat Cake: Orange Blossom & Honey Polenta Cake

Polenta's great stuff: we love it here at DS for multiple uses - whether in cake, pizza or other savoury delights. The sunshiney-yellow colour always brightens our day and, seeing as polenta cake keeps well in a tin for quite some time, it can KEEP brightening your day until you've managed to scarf the lot.

This cake is summery and fragrant; orange blossom is marvellous for creating an exotic, Moroccan edge, whilst honey is the perfect flavour for a golden August haze (she says whilst staring at drizzle out the window).

Best of all, most polenta cakes are naturally gluten free, and this one is dairy free too! BOOM. So, on with the cakery.

Orange Blossom & Honey Polenta Cake

You will need:

For the cake:

• 200g dairy-free spread (I used soya spread)
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 150g polenta (fine cornmeal)
• 50g ground almonds (if you hate almonds, you can use 200g polenta instead!)
• 2 tsp baking powder (check to make sure it's gluten free)
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 2 tsp orange blossom extract
• 1 tbsp honey
• Juice and zest of 1 orange

For the syrup:

• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 1-2 tbsp icing sugar
• 2 tsp orange blossom extract

Make it!

The cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 165C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Grease and line a 20cm baking tin. (Just grease it if you're using a silicone one). 
2. Cream together the dairy-free spread and the sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Measure the polenta, almonds (if using) and baking powder into a separate bowl. 
4. Beat the eggs in a jug, together with the orange blossom extract and honey. 
5. Add a third of the polenta mixture to the sugar mixture, along with a third of the eggs and stir gently to combine. Repeat twice more with the remaining ingredients. 
6. Stir in the orange zest and 2 tbsp of the juice. 
7. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean. 
8. Place on a wire-rack and leave to cool in the tin. 

The syrup:

1. Whilst the cake is cooking, put the remaining juice in a saucepan along with the icing sugar and orange blossom extract. (You may want to add more or less to taste).
2. Simmer over a low heat for 3-4 minutes until the liquid has reduced slightly.
3. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
4. Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cooling cake. Spoon the syrup over the top, making sure to cover the whole cake evenly. 
5. Decorate with zest from the second orange, and a drizzle of honey. (I put some jasmine flowers on mine as well, because I LIKE PRETTY). 

Baking for Beginners: Sussex Seed Cake with Orange Blossom Drizzle

I made this last night, I had it for dinner and now I'm having it for breakfast with a cup of coffee because, well because it's just heavenly! Plus there's orange in it so I'm counting it as one of my five a day (yep BREAKFAST cake!).

Sussex seed cake was traditionally made at this time of year and given to workers during the harvest to keep them going and to increase loyalty to their employers, yeah feed me cake and I'm pretty loyal too.

It's much cheaper to buy caraway seeds from health food shops than from supermarkets, you get a big pack from Holland and Barret for £1.79 that will last you for ages (it's brilliant in chutneys). I decided to add orange zest to my cake and then drizzle it with a sticky orange blossom syrup because I love the flavour of orange and almonds. You can pick up bottles of orange blossom water from most supermarkets and cake supply shops but if you cant find any just use extra orange zest or even a tablespoon of Cointreau, mmm boozy breakfast cake....

You'll need:

• 150g caster sugar
• 150g butter at room temperature
• 4 eggs (250ml of eggs)
• 160g self raising flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• zest of one and a half oranges
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the drizzle:

• juice of 2 oranges
• zest of half an orange
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 100g caster sugar

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 160C. Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy then beat in your eggs until the mixture comes together.
2. Sift in your flour then add the almonds, caraway, zest and milk and mix until everything is completely incorporated. 
3. Line a loaf tin with greased baking parchment then spoon in your mixture and bake in the centre of your oven for about 90 minutes or until you can put a skewer right the way through the centre of the cake and it comes out clean.
4. Whilst your cake is cooking make your drizzle by putting all the ingredients into a saucepan, heat   until it bubbles then turn the heat down to low and reduce for about ten minutes until it is thick and syrupy. Whilst your cake is still hot prick it all over with a skewer then drizzle over the syrup (be careful as the syrup will be really hot). Leave to cool for a few minutes so you don't burn your mouth (yeah I burnt my mouth).