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Home » Recipes » All the best vegan recipes from Sweeter than Oats

Published: Jun 29, 2021 · Modified: Nov 1, 2021 by Freya · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

Easy Vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

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Easy vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta cake. This cake is somewhat influenced by Spain, with its distinctive flavours of orange and almonds.

Easy Vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake
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The orange particularly holds strong symbolism for the Spanish Jewish because it was they who originally cultivated it in Spain back in the Roman Times. They were considered experts in the growing of citrus plants, and during the 18th Century, Jaffa Oranges were first grown in Israel by migrated Jews. They are considered by many to be the sweetest oranges in the world.

The cornmeal gives the cake a delicious crunch which enhances the soft orange almond texture beautifully. The cake is incredibly easy to make but benefits from resting overnight to let all the flavours mature.  Because this is a flourless and, indeed, fatless cake, it is not a light fluffy sponge, instead it is dense and rich with the wonderful texture of the cornmeal mingling with the delicate flavour ground almonds and the bold orange zest holding the flavours together.

Easy Vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

What Makes This Cake Gluten Free?

This cake is effortlessly gluten free because it contains no traditional flour. Instead it uses naturally gluten free ingredients like cornmeal and ground almonds. Just make sure that your baking powder is gluten-free!

I like to use these ingredients:

What Makes This Cake Vegan?

A cake like this, fat-free, would get it's lift from eggs, and usually quite a lot. However, the egg element here is replaced with a combination of vegan yogurt and applesauce!

Easy Vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

What Kind of Oranges Can I Use?

I just used normal "large" oranges from the supermarket. I think they may have been Seville or Navel oranges, but were unmarked. I wouldn't worry too much about using fancy oranges in this recipe. You'll be boiling them up anyway, so please just use whatever you can find!

How Do I Serve Polenta Orange Cake?

Easy Vegan Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

My absolute favourite way to serve this cake is with a generous dollop of whipped coconut cream, lightly sweetened with vanilla extract, and then a dusting of icing sugar.

If you liked this cake, you'll love my vegan Rhubarb Cake, here!

Vegan and Gluten Free Orange Polenta Cake

A deliciously fragrant and moist vegan and gluten free orange cake
4.98 from 39 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Vegan
Keyword: Gluten Free Cake, Polenta Cake, Vegan Cake
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Calories: 381kcal
Author: Freya

Equipment

  • 9" Springform Cake Tin, lined
  • Blender
  • Large pan for boiling the oranges

Ingredients

  • 1¾ cups Cornmeal or Polenta, fine
  • 1½ cups Ground Almonds
  • 3 Whole Oranges I used Naval
  • ½ teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar soft
  • ½ cup Vanilla Yogurt or plain, plant-based
  • ¾ cup Apple Sauce
  • 2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Instructions

  • Place your whole oranges in a large pan. Cover with water and bring to a brisk simmer before turning down to a gentle simmer. Cook for one hour. Remove from pan to cool.
  • Preheat oven to 190c.
  • Cut your oranges into quarters and blend until you have a thick, bright orange puree. Pour this into a separate bowl.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, cornmeal and baking powder.
  • Using the same blender as before (no need to rinse), add the yogurt, brown sugar, applesauce and almond extract and blend until smooth. Pour into the blended oranges and stir well to combine.
  • Pour the liquid mixture into your dry and mix gently, until thoroughly combined.
  • Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake at 190c for half an hour.
  • Turn down your oven to 180c and bake for another half an hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, before serving, cut into slices with a little dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of coconut cream.
Tried this recipe? Mention @sweeterthanoats or tag #sweeterthanoats!

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 200mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 2mg

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lexa says

    July 01, 2021 at 2:16 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this orange polenta cake this week and it turned out amazing! We really loved it and it vanished in in no time! Thanks for the detailed background information. Loved your post!

    Reply
  2. Jere Cassidy says

    July 02, 2021 at 2:39 am

    5 stars
    I have never had a polenta cake and this recipe looks amazing especially since I love orange. Gotta make this.

    Reply
  3. Anaiah says

    July 02, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Love this orange polenta cake. It was so easy to make and delicious. Plus it's gluten free and vegan!?

    Reply
  4. Jeri says

    July 02, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    5 stars
    This delicious orange polenta cake was so moist, and it had a wonderful orange flavor. It was delicious served with coconut cream. Yum!

    Reply
  5. Andrea White says

    July 02, 2021 at 10:09 pm

    How delicious and unique! This is such a special recipe!

    Reply
  6. Karen says

    July 03, 2021 at 3:31 am

    5 stars
    Such a great recipe. Thanks Freya

    Reply
  7. Joshua says

    August 05, 2021 at 6:37 am

    5 stars
    This gluten free and vegan polenta cake turned out amazing. The oranges gave it delicious flavors and the applesauce made it so moist. It's the first plant based cake I didn't mess up!

    Reply
  8. Alexandra says

    August 05, 2021 at 7:22 am

    5 stars
    This is such a beautiful cake and so delicious. Love the orange flavour.

    Reply
  9. Natalie says

    August 05, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    5 stars
    Lovely summer cake. Looks delicious and full of flavor. I can't wait to make this for my family.

    Reply
  10. Kirby says

    August 05, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    Freya does it again! This orange polenta cake is absolutely perfect. Polenta cakes have become one of my favorites since going GF, and this one does not disappoint!

    Reply
  11. Andrea White says

    August 05, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    5 stars
    Love this so much!

    Reply
  12. Kristina says

    August 11, 2021 at 11:07 am

    5 stars
    MY kids loved this cake!

    Reply
    • Brian says

      December 11, 2021 at 7:19 pm

      Hi there. This cake looks amazing. Just a question - does one leave the orange skin on, and after simmering them for an hour, blend them with the skin on? When I get your answer I'll make it for the party tomorrow hopefully 😀🌈

      Reply
      • Freya says

        December 11, 2021 at 7:21 pm

        Hi Brian! Yes! Do leave the skin on, although if you find a few pips when you cut it, pick those out as they can be a little bitter. Enjoy your party!

        Reply
        • Brian says

          December 11, 2021 at 7:43 pm

          Thanks for the quick reply. I'm going to make it now, and will let you know the outcome.....
          😀🙏🏻

          Reply

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Hi, I'm Freya! I'm a plant-based foodie, obsessed with true crime, collecting cookbooks and photographing everything I eat.

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