Sweet Orange Corn Cakes With Tangy Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok, remember yesterday when I said I had made a successful gluten-free muffin and I was super proud?  Well, I have out done myself today.  This recipe is a definite keeper.  In fact, it's the best GF cake I've EVER HAD.  It's a cornbread and orange cake hybrid with the most amazingly tangy lemon-orange "cream cheese" frosting.  The cake texture is dense and slightly grainy like cornbread, but it has a lovely flavor.  Most importantly, it doesn't hang around like sand in your mouth like a lot of gluten free cakes seem to do.   I wish I could give everyone I know one of these adorable little cakes right now.  Instead, I will post the recipe and hope with all my might that it reaches a GF person with a little bit of kitchen ambition.  I promise, even though this recipe requires some fore-thought, you won't regret making these sweet and tangy citrus corn cakes.

The first thing you will need to do is make candied orange peel.  When you make candied orange peel, you also make an orange infused syrup as a by-product.  Save the orange infused syrup in a heat proof container, and once it has cooled, pour into a plastic squeeze bottle if you have one.  These steps need to occur at least one day before you intend to make the cakes in order to give the orange peel time to set.

Sweet Orange Corn Cakes With Tangy Lemon "Cream Cheese" Frosting

This gluten-free & vegan recipe is by Emily Haydel 
makes 9 small cakes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup finely ground corn meal (also called corn flour, but not to be confused with cornstarch)

3/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamela's baking and pancake mix)

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup candied orange peel + more for garnish

3/4 cup orange syrup + 2 tablespoons to drizzle

3/4 cup applesauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon chia seeds + 3 tablespoons almond milk

For the frosting:

1/4 cup orange syrup

4 oz earth balance

6 oz gluten free, vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

juice of 1 lemon

Directions: 

preheat oven to 375 degrees F

1.  In small dish, mix chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of almond milk.  Let sit while preparing other ingredients.

2.  In small bowl, mix almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit while preparing other ingredients

3.  In medium bowl, add cornmeal, coconut flour, GF flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt.  Whisk to combine.

4.  In a separate medium bowl, stir together orange syrup, applesauce, and olive oil.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5.  Add chia mixture to batter and stir until incorporated.

6.  Add the almond/vinegar mixture to the batter and mix until combined

7.  Stir in candied orange peel, saving some for the garnish

8.  Spoon the batter into lightly greased muffin pan (I used a mini bundt pan).  Pat into the pan so the tops are level.  They do not rise very much, so fill them pretty full.

9.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they begin to brown around the edges

10.  When you remove them from the oven, squeeze or drizzle about a teaspoon of orange syrup over each one.  It will sizzle as it sinks down into the cake.

11.  When cool enough to touch, carefully lift from the pan onto a wire cooling rack

For the frosting:

1.  Add vegan cream cheese and earth balance to the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Add the orange syrup, lemon juice, and powdered sugar.  Blend until smooth.  Sweeten to taste.

2.  Spoon frosting over cakes and garnish with orange peel