Orange Cornmeal Cake
Olive oil and white wine may seem like unfamiliar ingredients in desserts, yet here they combine to produce a subtly fruity cake. For a crunchier topping, use coarse sanding sugar, available at many grocery stores, in place of the granulated sugar in step 3.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with oil; line bottom with a round of waxed or parchment paper, and brush paper with oil.
Step 2
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. In another bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, 1 cup sugar, and the wine until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk gently to combine.
Step 3
Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3 cup sugar (the layer of sugar will be thick). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
Step 4
Cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; gently invert cake gently onto a plate, and remove parchment paper. Reinvert cake onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with orange segments, if desired.
Segmenting Oranges
Step 5
Slice off both ends of fruit with a sharp paring knife. Working from top to bottom, cut away rind (including bitter white pith) with long strokes, following the fruit’s curve. Then cut between membranes to release each segment.
