Strawberry, Orange & Almond Polenta Cake

Bank Holiday weekends are all about chilling out, (hopefully) enjoying some nice weather, seeing friends and family, letting your hair down a bit and making the most of an extra day off… It’s the last one of the summer so in true #IndulgingInnocently style, here’s a delicious late summer recipe to make if you’ve got people round or fancy a slice of (healthy) cake in the garden. Gluten-free, dairy-free and free from refined sugars, it makes the perfect treat with a cup of coffee/tea or a cheeky G&T!

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Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup polenta
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour (I used Dove’s Farm)
  • ¼ cup ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅓ cup coconut sugar (I used The Coconut Company)
  • 2 eggs (The Happy Egg Co.)
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (I used Lucy Bee)
  • 4 tablespoons Sweet Freedom fruit syrup
  • Zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • Fresh strawberries, halved
  • Flaked almonds

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Get baking!

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and lightly grease and line a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the polenta, flour, ground almonds and baking powder. Stir in the orange zest.
  3. Whisk together the eggs with the coconut sugar, almond and vanilla extracts until frothy.
  4. Pour this into the dry ingredients along with the melted coconut oil, 3 tablespoons of the Sweet Freedom and orange juice. Gently fold in to incorporate.
  5. Spoon the mixture out into the prepared tin, then arrange the strawberry halves on top to cover in a single layer. Drizzle over the remaining Sweet Freedom.
  6. Scatter over the almonds then bake for about 30 minutes in total, covering halfway through, until firm and golden.
  7. Leave to cool then gently remove. Slice up, serve and enjoy!

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Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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