This is one of my favorite desserts from the island of Sicily! Typical of Sicilian desserts, it’s refreshing and delicious but not overly sweet and uses a wonderful combination of unique ingredients. It pairs well with any dinner- pasta, grilled fish, even pizza.

Buon Appetito! Lisa

Lisa’s Orange and Polenta Cake Ingredients:

1 cup cake flour

3/4 cup polenta, preferably imported from Italy

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine Sicilian sea salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tablespoons orange zest

For the topping: 

1 cup orange marmalade, preferably imported blood orange marmalade

Lisa’s Orange and Polenta Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter 2 round 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Combine the flour, polenta, baking powder and salt, and set the mixture aside. Using a stand or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar, adding the eggs 1 at a time. Then add the orange juice and the orange zest. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well until blended. Spray the two pans with non stick spray.

Fill the two cake pans evenly. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to two cake stands or platters (these cakes are not meant to be layered). To serve, cut the cake into slices and dollop 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade on top of each slice.