Mandarin, Macadamia and Polenta Cakes Recipe

Ingredients :

Preparation & cook time : 1 hour 15 minutes (plus cooling)

Makes 18

Method :

Place whole mandarins in medium saucepan, cover with cold water; bring to the boil. Drain then repeat process twice. Cool mandarins to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Line three six-hole (¹/₃-cup/80ml) muffin pans with paper cases.
Blend or process nuts until finely chopped; place in small bowl. Halve mandarins; discard seeds. Blend or process mandarins, including skin, until pulpy.
Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Transfer mixture to large bowl; stir in polenta, baking powder, nuts and mandarin pulp. Divide mixture among paper cases.
Bake cakes about 35 minutes. Stand 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire racks to cool.
Meanwhile, make mandarin icing. To make mandarin icing, sift icing sugar into small bowl; stir in juice and butter until smooth.
Spread cold cakes with mandarin icing. Decorate with flowers.

Baking Tips

Storage : Cakes can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

butter : 125g is equal to one stick (4 ounces) butter. Unsalted butter often called "sweet" butter as it has no added salt. The salt content of regular salted butter is sometimes discernable in a sweet recipe, especially with chocolate. You can use regular butter in most cakes and baking, but it's advisable to stick to unsalted butter when it's specified in delicate toppings, icings and so on.
caster sugar is superfine or finely granulated table sugar.
polenta (cornmeal) is a flour-like cereal made of corn (maize). Also the dish made from it.
baking powder is a raising agent; consists of two parts cream of tartar to one part bicarbonate of soda. Gluten-free baking powder is made without cereals.
pure icing sugar is also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar; has no added corn flour.

√ gluten-free √ wheat-free √ yeast-free