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Orange cake with hominy grits & pine nuts

Packages of hominy grits always seem too large. So, having heard that some cakes are made with polenta, I tried something similar with grits. My recipe resulted a moist yet pleasantly crunchy cake, with a thin sugary crust and pine nuts to add to the crunchiness.

Orange grits cake

Adapted from two recipes, Orange Cornmeal Cake at Simply Recipes, and le Gâteau Piège at Chocolate & Zucchini.

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces whole wheat pastry flour
  • 3 ounces (about 1/2 cup) quick hominy grits
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • grated zest of 1 large or 2 medium oranges (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
  • 2 eggs
  • 7/8 cup sugar, containing 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons for sprinkling
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup yogurt
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF degrees; I used the convection baking setting.
  2. Butter and coat with sugar a 9-inch round springform pan, or a 7-inch square pan with parchment sling.
  3. Sift the flour, grits, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
  4. Melt the butter, and mix with the olive oil and orange zest; also set aside.
  5. Using the whisk attachment for the mixer, whip the eggs and 7/8 cup plus 3 tablespoons of sugars until foamy and pale, about 5 to 7 minutes.
  6. Fold into the egg mixture the flour followed by the yogurt, orange juice, then butter mixture.
  7. Pour batter into prepared pan, then sprinkle with pine nuts and the 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar.
  8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes; done when sides pull away and a knife comes out clean.

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