Ingredients

FOR CAKE
adapted from Orange Polenta Cake (Gourmet, February 2009)

1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup xylitol (or granulated sugar, if you’re not sugar free)
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp. orange zest (roughly 2 large navel oranges)
juice of 1/2 navel orange
1/2 cup featherlight gluten free flour blend (see below)
1/8 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups almond flour/meal
2/3 cup finely ground cornmeal or quick cooking polenta

FOR GLAZE

1 1/4 cups sugar free confectioners’ sugar (recipe here)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla

FEATHERLIGHT GLUTEN FREE BLEND (Bette Hagman)

1 part brown rice flour
1 part tapioca flour
1 part cornstarch
1 tsp. potato flour (not potato starch) per cup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 inch round cake pan with non-stick spray and line bottom with parchment paper.

2. Grate zest from oranges and set aside.

3. Cream butter and xylitol (or sugar) using an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each is added. Add orange juice and orange zest and mix until incorporated.

4. Combine flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, almond flour, and cornmeal/polenta. Turn mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined. Spread batter in prepared pan (batter will be thick) using a rubber spatula or, preferably, an offset spatula. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The original recipe stated that the cake should bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, but my cake was done at about 50 minutes, so be sure to check a bit early just to make sure.

5. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely.

6. For glaze: add confectioners’ sugar to small bowl and add vanilla. Mix in orange juice slowly, until you have the desired consistency (thick enough that it won’t run right off the cake). Pour over cooled cake and allow to set. Move to a cake plate and serve.