blood orange pistachio polenta cake // the liebster!

i am in love

that weightless, nothing in the world matters feeling

with winter citrus

it's the color i so desperately need this time of year

in between winter & spring where everything is gray

its like the scene in mars needs moms - where everything is bleak

and then you have this incredible burst of color

blood oranges are beautiful

cara cara oranges are quite nice too

my entire house is studded with bowls of winter citrus

i can't get enough of it

blood oranges make a beautiful showing in this cake

the perfect pick me up for anyone with the winter blues

blood oranges are paired with polenta, ground almonds & olive oil

the makings for a wonderfully moist textural cake

sifted with a bit of all spice for a little added warmth

ground pistachios are added to the topping -

making a delightful, slightly caramelized exterior

the color is quite pretty too

this polenta cake is baked much in the same fashion as an upside down cakenext turn around, however, i would remove the rindit looks pretty, but for some it can be a tad overwhelmingpersonally, i rather enjoyed the sweet & slightly bitter combinationhowever, it is not for everyone

one tip i do have is to please make sure you have allowed your cake

to fully cool once flipped before moving to your serving platter

the polenta cake is super moist and the oranges a bit top heavy

if moved too soon without cooling you are heading into dangerous territory

dangerous, like your cake splitting in half and loosing part of the bottom

while you were trying to quickly move it to your pretty serving plate

maybe i did this, maybe i didn't

i am not admitting to anything here

the color is amazing

tasting even more amazing than the color

a perfect companion to your afternoon tea

  i interrupt this post for an important announcement

THANK YOU to Maryanne from the little epicurean for nominating Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes for the Liebster Blog Award- this is such a wonderful honor and puts a big smile on my face

Liebster" is German for dearest, favorite, or beloved.  The Liebster Blog Award is sort of a chain letter  among bloggers meant to showcase exceptional up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.  It is a recognition that a fellow blogger has noticed and appreciated your work.

After accepting:

- Thank the Liebster Blog Award Presenter on your blog

- Link back to the blogger who nominated you

- Copy and paste the award on your blog

- Reveal 5 blogs of your choice

- Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

my five beautiful blog picks:

fork & beans - I love Cara; funny, sincere and all around one of the nicest & best people that i have gotten to know through blogging- if i lived on the west coast we would be bff's, she creates the most amazing gluten free vegan foodie treats i have ever seen

the fig tree: Courtney J is awesome, i feel like i have known her forever; her blog is adorable, recipes amazing and one of my favorite bloggers i follow; beautiful photos too!

cooking weekends: Gerlinde is so amazingly creative - her recipes never fail to make me drool, love her creativity and photos

excuse me i can't stand up: Tuonela's recipes & photos are always mouth watering

she cooks, she gardens: i love Erin's Blog, her blog name represents the two things i love most;

cooking and gardening - her blog is simply charming

please go for a visit to the above blogs and show them some love - they deserve it!

now back to our originally scheduled program

Blood Orange Pistachio Polenta Cake

serves 12

you will need:

for the topping

1-2 blood oranges rind removed, thinly sliced

1 tsp vegan butter

2 tsp demerara sugar

1/4 cup shelled, roasted & salted pistachios, roughly ground

for the cake

1/2 cup softened vegan butter + 1 tsp butter for coating the pan

1/4 cup of finely ground almonds

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup polenta (stone ground cornmeal)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp all spice

1/2 cup very good olive oil

1/2 cup soy yogurt

1 cup agave or granulated sugar

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

assembly:

pre-heat oven to 350*

butter a 9-inch round baking pan- line the bottom & sides with parchment paper

butter again

thinly slice the the blood oranges

sprinkle the demerara sugar coating the bottom of the pan

layer the blood orange overlapping if needed (single layer)

sprinkle the ground pistachios over the blood oranges

concentrating on any gaps from the oranges

set aside

in a medium bowl combine ground almonds through all spice

- whisk to combine

in a mixing bowl with paddle attachment mix on high speed olive oil, 1/2 cup softened vegan butter, agave or sugar & soy yogurt until well combined (about 2 minutes)

stir in vanilla & flour mixture until just combined

pour batter into round pan & bake for 30 - 32 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake

remove from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes

invert cake onto a cooling rack or serving plate

 allow to fully cool before moving to a serving plate or prior to cutting

enjoy!

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