Orange and raspberry polenta sandwich cake

Polenta is an ingredient that appears a fair amount when reading about gluten free baking. It is not an ingredient I had tried in a sweet dish and I was interested. 

I saw recipes for sandwich cakes that contained polenta and thought they looked pretty good, just like a Victoria sandwich and I am a BIG fan of the Victoria sandwich.

My husband is a big fan of raspberries, and as Scottish ones are in season, they were an obvious choice for the centre of the cake. But what to pair with them? Lemon and raspberry is a classic combination but for some reason I did not want that, I decided to move onto another citrus fruit, the orange.

I also used lactose free cream to sandwich the cakes together, to make the cake completely dairy free you could use soya cream or it is possible to whip cold coconut cream beautifully.

This cake turned out really well and is so delicious. It may look like a Victoria sandwich but the texture is different. It is a heavier cake with a fabulous stickiness, possibly from the orange. The lightly whipped vanilla cream and raspberries pair beautifully with it. I cannot see this cake lasting very long in any household but due to the cream it will need to be stored in the fridge until you have finished devouring it!

Orange and raspberry polenta sandwich cake

225g dairy free spread (I used Pure sunflower)
225g caster sugar (I used golden)
4 medium eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla paste/extract
zest of an orange
50g plain GF flour (I used dove farm
175g fine polenta
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

250ml of lactose free cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract/paste
200g raspberries


Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and grease two 20cm sandwich tins, lining the base with baking paper. If. like me, you do not have two tins simply bake the cake in two batches. 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and 225g caster sugar together until creamy and light, I used my stand mixer to do this but an electric hand whisk or good old fashioned elbow grease would work too.

Gradually add the egg, little by little, until all the egg is worked in and the mix is pale and fluffy. If the mix looks like it’s starting to split, add 1 tbsp of the flour, then carry on. 

Beat the vanilla paste/extract and orange zest into the mix, then fold in the dry ingredients. Spoon half the batter into each tin and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes (mine took 25) until risen and golden.

Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. 

When the sponges are cold, whip the cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla paste/extract until it holds a firm peak. Use to sandwich the sponges together along with the raspberries. I put about of the third of the cream onto the bottom cake, top with raspberries, then add the rest of the cream. 

This provides a more stable base for the second cake and prevents the fruit bleeding to much into the sponges, I hate it when they go soggy because of this! This cake would look beautiful with a light dusting of icing sugar but I had completely run out.