Orange Cornmeal Cake

Rating: 3.32 stars
149 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 31
  • 4 star values: 30
  • 3 star values: 54
  • 2 star values: 23
  • 1 star values: 11

This orange-flavored cake has white wine in the batter.

Everyday Food, October 2004

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

prep:
10 mins
total:
1 hr 10 mins
Servings:
8
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with oil; line bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and brush paper with oil.

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  • In a large bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, 1 cup sugar, and wine until smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and orange zest; whisk gently to combine.

  • Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1/3 cup sugar (topping will be thick). Bake until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

  • Cool in pan 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert cake gently onto a plate, and remove parchment paper. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely. Serve with orange segments, if desired.

Cook's Notes

For an even crunchier topping, you can use sanding sugar in place of granulated sugar in step 3. Look for it in the baking section of your grocery store.

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Reviews (23)

149 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 31
  • 4 star values: 30
  • 3 star values: 54
  • 2 star values: 23
  • 1 star values: 11
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
11/09/2019
This cake is my go to recipe when I want to whip up a quick but elegant dessert You can’t go wrong ... just look at the wonderful ingredient list I did add a tsp of Madagascar Vanilla Bean Paste to the batter as well coated my pan with pure olive oil but sprayed paper with olive oil cooking spray which works as well
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
05/06/2019
So easy to make! I love that I only used 1 bowl. I used orange juice and zest and my family was raving about it. I’ll definitely make this again although I would use 1/4 cup of sugar for the topping.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
03/09/2019
Amazing flavour!! So fresh looking the cornmeal gives a nice bright yellow very springy looking great though all year round with a coffee ...this is simple to prepare and gets great reviews from the crowd
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Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
09/25/2018
Great recipe. I did not have orange juice so I diluted orange preserves with water, used 1\4 cup preserves and 6 table spoons instead of 1\2 cup orange juice. Added 3/4 tsp orange extract rather than the orange zest. Taste was great. Baking time the same. Neighbors loved it.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
01/15/2016
I love this cake! Moist, flavorful, and crunchy. I used 2 blood oranges instead of the wine and the zest from both and made a lemon glaze instead of the sugar topping. I love lemon glaze on citrus cakes. I also lowered the oven temp to 350 as 375 bakes cakes too quickly in my oven. Cake was done in 33 minutes. I will definitely make it again. Did i say I love this cake?? It's really delicious and easy to make!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
05/23/2015
I've made this many times and it's always a hit. Not a fancy Dessert Cake, really, but wonderful with tea or at breakfast. Two things: (1) Use light olive oil for a better flavor, and (2) One day I threw in a handful of coconut and it's a fantastic addition to the flavor and texture. (I ADORE this cake... have even successfully sent it via mail, wrapped well w/Saran wrap on a cake round.)
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Anonymous
Rating: 4 stars
10/08/2013
A great cake with a light flavor.
Anonymous
Rating: 5 stars
05/03/2011
Delicious with basic ingredients and quick to put together. Made a double batch for one to go to the freezer. Only change I made was to not add the sugar topping. Thank you for sharing the recipe, John!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/20/2010
I am a complete novice to baking and this cake turned out wonderfully for me! I used the zest from a large navel orange and the orange flavor was just a bit too strong, so next time will reduce. Also I used sanding sugar for the top- I thought 1/3 cup ended up being too much- next time will use a little less. Really delicious and easy! Can't wait to make it again- this will be my go-to for the summer.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/27/2010
This is a very delicious and pretty cake! I used 1/2 cup fresh orange juice from 2 oranges. Definitely I will make it again and use zest of two oranges; I thought it doesn't have enough flavor.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/18/2010
This cake is delicious! So simple to make that my kids made it. I used white whole wheat flour and OJ. Will most definitely make again and again!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/11/2010
i thought this cake was delicious! it's really light and is made in one bowl -- you can't beat that! bakes up perfectly and the flavors are wonderful. definitely something i will be making again
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/09/2009
I love this cake! It's light and refreshing, a different kind of dessert. For bijtje1965: 1 cup of flour =125 grams; 1 cup of sugar =200 grams; 1 cup of oil =224 grams
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/21/2008
This cake is easy to make and people really like it. It has a light taste and the combination of crunchy top and soft inside is really great. Don't skip the orange slices it really dresses up the plate!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/06/2008
I enjoy baking and have tried several recipes, but it never comes out as it should. Can you tell me how many grams a cup of sugar and a cup of flour/cornflour is? I am told a stick of butter is 120 grams. I find these cups very hard to work with, in the Netherlands, where I live, we only use grams.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
09/13/2008
My whole family loved this cake! I made it with orange juice and canola oil because I didn't have white wine and mild olive oil around - but it still turned out delicious. The crust of this cake is just amazing. I'll definitly make this again...with white wine and olive oil next time..
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
07/17/2008
This has become one of our favorite cakes. Goes together very quickly! I use less sugar on the top, when I'm low on mild olive oil, canola works great! I, too, will try it with lemon. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
06/05/2008
EXCELLENT cake: light, moist, keeps for a few days (even better the next afternoon with coffee). It is refreshingto find a dessert that is not oppressively gooey and sweet. A perfect summer treat- elegant, simple and refreshing.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
03/26/2008
Just made this Today. Absolutely delicious. I love John's recipe, it never fails! Thank you so much Martha!!! Even I live in France, I still checking in with Martha's website almost everyday.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
02/27/2008
This not too sweet cake is easy to make and wonderful with a cup of coffee in the morning. Next time, I;ll make with lemon zest.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/28/2008
I was pleasantly surprised by this cake. At first I was skeptical making a cake of olive oil and white wine but it was DELICIOUS.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/27/2008
This was delicious! I made it with the zest of two lemons because I was in a pinch and didn't have any oranges in the house. It was crusty on the outside and warm and sweet on the inside. Yum!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/07/2008
I just made this cake for an outdoor Christmas gathering with neighbors because I thought the corn meal would give the cake structure, so we could eat pieces without plates. That was fine. However, I found the cake itself had a bitterness which bothered me. I followed the recipe exactly. I wonder whether the olive oil could have made it bitter. Also could have been the "orange zest". I would not make this cake again.
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