There’s something about May which makes me want to bake. Maybe it’s because the Bank Holidays are occasions for friends and families to get together – often in rainy weather as the early May Day one just gone – so baking a pudding or cake seems the natural thing to do? But did you know that the month of May is brimming with a flotilla of food-related days, including World Baking Day?
What’s all this about World Baking Day…?
We’ve already had ‘Eat what you want day’ on 11 May (whether you stick to healthy eating or not), as well as Europe Day on 9 May which was a good reason to indulge in such delights as Pastéis de nata, Madeleines or a slice of Gateau Basque. And we’ve still got European Neighbours’ Day on 27 May to enjoy!
But I recently discovered that there’s a World Baking Day to add to these foodie days in May, which is celebrated on the third Sunday of May. So, whether you are a baking devotee, a chef extraordinaire or new to baking, this is the day to display your skills with your favourite creation or even try your hand at baking something you’ve never done before.
Try something new
I’m going down the ‘never done before’ route and baking a polenta cake. Valerie, a friend of mine, is having her Diamond Wedding celebrations later in the year and she asked me to bake two separate cakes for the occasion. I’ll be doing a decorated fruit cake – Grandma Abson’s recipe – just like I baked for my lovely in-laws in 2011. But since my friend is gluten intolerant, she has asked me to bake a polenta cake, which is a first for me. I want to try it out a few times to make sure it will be near perfect for their family event.
Here’s her recipe which she says she has been making for over 10 years.
Orange polenta cake
What you need
140g ground almonds
100g polenta
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs (separated)
170ml rapeseed oil
170g golden caster sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
For the syrup
150ml orange juice
55g caster sugar
How to bake
Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) and grease a cake tin (20 cm x 8 cm). Mix together the ground almonds, polenta and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks, oil, 150g of the golden caster sugar and the grated zests of the orange and lemon. Fold in the dry ingredients gently. In another bowl, whisk the egg white and remaining golden caster sugar until there are stiff peaks. Then add this to the cake mixture in batches. Try not to stir too much so you keep the air in the mixture. Pour it all into the cake tin and bake in the oven for around 30-35 minutes until the cake is firm or a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin and make the syrup.
Add the orange juice and caster sugar to a small saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar over a low heat. Bring to the boil for 1 minute or so. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Pierce the cake all over with a skewer and then drizzle the syrup over the cake. Leave to cool for another 10 minutes or so before turning the cake out of the tin and allow to cool.
Valerie says she often used to make a decoration of mascarpone, icing sugar and whipped cream to spread on the top but she says that sifted icing sugar on the top is sufficient to make this cake a stunning centrepiece for any occasion. The choice is yours!
Now over to you
I was very pleased with this first attempt which had the thumbs up all round. I hope you’ll find time on 17 May to bake a cake and why not check out your local market to buy your ingredients. It’s Love Your Local Market week from 17 May to 1 June which is about encouraging everyone to support their local market and community. Whatever you bake and whoever you bake for, enjoy World Baking Day and spring into action – it’s going to be an annual event on my calendar!
You can read more about Grandma Abson’s life, her passion for baking and recipes HERE and head over to Instagram @grandmaabson to see Meryl baking with her grandchildren.
