NOT ANOTHER BLOODY POLENTA CAKE

Yes, I know, I’m one of those drongos who has “waves” of being into things – whether that be sequins, wayfarers, almond croissants, all things Scandinavian and apparently, cakes including polenta. So my friend asked me to make her a cake for her work-do. Sure, me being the bloody muggans said yes. Perfect for the blog, I said (secretly)! Every Wednesday a group of my friends play croquet, drink in hand, for what we like to call “Whack it Wednesday”. Euphemisms are unintended. It was after this week’s #WhackItWednesday that I realised while stumbling home (on a school night) that I had forgotten to prioritise my cake-making. In a wave of hysteria I rushed to the supermarket and purchased oranges, walnuts, carrots and cream cheese. New trend alert! I mean how can you possibly go wrong with sweet, sour and tart – thanks to the cream cheese? 

Speaking of trends there’s definitely a “cake of the moment” that’s dominating the likes of instagram. Think gluten-and-dairy-free, ethereal dried flowers, powdered plum ornamentation and pistachios. What’s more, the aesthetic of this #ontrend cake is “slightly disheveled but equally put together” in other words, “shabby chic”. So here’s my take on the trend, in an easy – let’s-put-in-as-little-effort-as-humanly-possible kind of way. 

Ingredients:

About 200g of butter

4T olive oil

1 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

Handful of cut-up walnuts

1 ½ tsp baking powder

3/4C polenta

2 big carrots, finely grated

3 oranges, the zest of 2, the juice of all 3.

Tub of cream cheese

Up to 2 C of icing sugar

Dried flowers for decoration

Combine the sugar, oil and butter and whisk the heck out of it until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat, beat, beat. Add the vanilla, baking powder, polenta. Finally add the carrots, walnuts and orange zest and juice. Mix the heck out of it. By this point all the scents will be getting to you. Grease the heck out of a baking tin. Seriously, because this is a dense-healthy-ish cake, it’s inclined to be inordinately attached to its partner in crime, namely the tin. I’m losing my mind with all the aroma. So many innuendos with this recipe! Okay, biff the mixture into the oven 160 degrees Celsius for about 30 – 40 minutes. Leave to cool once it’s out of the oven. Now for the icing. Combine the cream cheese and icing sugar. If it tastes/feels/looks a bit “meh” add a bit of butter or orange zest. I tend to overdo it on the vanilla so I’m not going to suggest you add more. Once the cake is ready to be iced, gloop on as much icing as possible. The more, the better, I say. Huzzah!