Ingredients
200g unsalted butter (at room temperature), plus extra for greasing
200g demerara sugar
3 large free-range eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
200g ground almonds
100g coarse polenta
2 oranges
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1 teaspoon baking powder
Syrup
5 cardamom pods
250ml orange juice (from 3–4 oranges)
30ml orange blossom water
125g golden caster sugar
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F/gas 2½. Grease a 20cm springform tin, line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper and grease again.
Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then stir in the vanilla essence.
In a small bowl, combine the ground almonds, polenta, orange zest, orange blossom water and baking powder, then stir this into the cake mix.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the surface is light brown and the cake is coming away slightly from the sides of the tin.
Remove the tin from the oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate. This cake will be quite fragile, so handle carefully as you remove it.
To make the syrup, crush the cardamom pods, then put all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly. Set aside to cool.
Prick the cake all over with a skewer, then brush generously with the syrup. Delicious served with a dollop of Mascarpone cream and an extra drizzle of syrup.