This Orange Cornmeal Cake is a perfect dessert for when you want to make something special, but only if you have the time. The cake can be made in under an hour, but you do need to let the cake cool completely so that the glaze doesn’t melt into the cake. And the glaze should be given time to dry to a matte finish. It’s so worth the wait.
You should only need one orange, but I’d buy two just in case you don’t get enough juice from the single orange – you want the glaze to be as orange-infused as the cake. Despite the whole grain of the cornmeal, this Orange Cornmeal Cake actually feels light – using yogurt and grapeseed oil (in lieu of butter) results in a remarkably fluffy texture, especially for a gluten-free cake. I made this last night and half of it is gone already. I only had one piece – really!
Orange-Glazed Cornmeal Cake
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 orange
- 1 T butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
- 3 large eggs (room temp)
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free AP flour (King Arthur Measure for Measure)
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t baking soda
GLAZE
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- orange juice
Instructions
CAKE
- Zest and squeeze the orange and prep the baking pan – Zest the entire orange. Cut the zested orange in half and juice both halves, measuring out 1/4 cup for the cake, reserving the rest for the glaze. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet (to catch leaks, if necessary).
- Preheat the oven and blend the wet ingredients – Preheat the oven to 350℉, convection bake setting. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or if you're like me, you may choose to beat and mix by hand), beat sugar and oil until blended and smooth. Beat in the eggs, yogurt, 1/4 cup orange juice, and zest.
- Whisk the dry ingredients finish the batter – In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the sugar mixture until the batter is smooth and glossy.
- Bake – Bake until golden brown and firm, 35 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
GLAZE
- Make the glaze – stir together the powdered sugar and the remaining orange juice, adding the juice 1 T at a time, until you have a thick but pourable consistency. Pour over the cake once you're confident that the cake has completely cooled. Allow the glaze to stiffen and lose it's shine before serving.
We can’t grow oranges here, so I don’t stop to think about when they’re in season – they’re always at the grocery store. But I do bake this cake more frequently in the winter months when we tend to have more dinner parties. I start thinking about this cake in early January, when we’ve finished up all of the Christmas cookies. Other than sourdough bread, I don’t bake much at all in the summer. This Orange Cornmeal Cake isn’t really picnic fare. I wonder if I could make a cupcake version? Hmm…