Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add oranges and cover with water. Bring it to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour until the oranges are soft.
- When oranges have cooled, cut in half, remove any seeds and place in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Decant and measure out 1½ cups of the orange puree. If you have extra, store in a ziploc in the freezer for next time.
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan force.
- Return orange puree to the blender and add the polenta, almond meal, eggs, baking powder, bicarb and sugar. Pulse until smooth. If you have a small blender you might have to do this in 2 batches.
- Grease and line a round cake tin. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
- To make the orange syrup, boil the orange juice and sugar in a small pot over medium high heat for 10-15 minutes or until reduced by half and you have a syrup-like consistency. Set aside to cool.
- For the icing, whisk the cream cheese and creme fraiche until smooth and you have a slightly stiff consistency. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- When the cake has completely cooled, ice the top of the cake with the creme fraiche icing, drizzle with the orange syrup and top with chopped pistachios.
Tip:
For a zestier cake, you can add lemons to the mix, also adding orange blossom water to the syrup would give it an extra floral notes.