Description
A delightful cranberry and clementine polenta cake featuring a moist, textured crumb infused with zesty clementine and tart cranberries, topped with a smooth, zesty cinnamon cream. Perfect for an elegant teatime treat or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 250g salted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
- 250g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 200g self-raising flour
- 150g polenta
- 4 clementines, zested
- 150g fresh or frozen cranberries (defrosted if frozen)
Cream Topping
- 300ml double or whipping cream
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 3 tbsp clementine juice
Instructions
- Prepare the oven and tin: Heat the oven to 160C (140C fan)/gas mark 3. Butter the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin and line it with baking parchment to prevent sticking.
- Cream the butter and sugar: Using an electric whisk, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. This will help to incorporate air and give the cake a light texture.
- Add the eggs gradually: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add a spoonful of the self-raising flour between each egg to prevent the mixture from curdling.
- Fold in the dry ingredients and zest: Gently fold in the remaining self-raising flour, polenta, and the zest of the clementines until just combined to keep the batter light.
- Incorporate the cranberries: Carefully fold in the cranberries, ensuring not to overmix to avoid coloring the batter red, especially if using defrosted berries.
- Bake the cake: Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before serving.
- Prepare the cinnamon cream: In a large bowl, whisk together the double or whipping cream, cinnamon, icing sugar, and clementine juice using an electric whisk until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to serve.
- Serve: Plate slices of the cooled cake and serve with a generous dollop of the zesty cinnamon cream on the side for an indulgent finish.
- Storage: Store the cake in an airtight container. It will keep well for up to three days.
Notes
- Gently fold in cranberries to prevent the cake batter from turning pink due to the berries’ color.
- If using frozen cranberries, ensure they are fully defrosted and drained to prevent added moisture in the batter.
- Butter temperature is key: make sure it’s softened, not melted, for proper creaming with sugar.
- The cake keeps well for up to three days when stored in an airtight container, maintaining its moisture and flavor.
- Clementine juice in the cream adds a fresh tang that balances the sweetness of the cake.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: polenta cake, cranberry cake, clementine cake, winter dessert, citrus cake, cinnamon cream, festive cake
