I’m crazy about blood oranges right now, absolutely in love with them!
I started preparing for their arrival by collecting recipes weeks before they appeared at my local grocery store.

I believe nature truly gives us citrus in winter to help colour and brighten our long dark days, and vibrant blood oranges are our greatest reward.

While they’re in season, I grab a couple every time I’m at the store; I can’t get enough of their deeply red tones, robust flavour and fragrance. There’s just something dramatic and special about them…

I’ve eaten a lot of blood oranges this year!

I snack on them, juice them, cook with them and throw them in salads; a few weeks ago, I put a few splashes into a vinaigrette for this this cauliflower and chickpea salad.

With its relatively short season, I’ve been trying to find more recipes that showcase their beauty and bounty, so on weekends, I bake and cook with them when I’m not busy doing other things… because I want to eat all the blood oranges I can before its season is over!

Since I love polenta, and I’m having this moment with blood oranges, it was inevitable that I’d find a way to put these two together.

I made this blood orange polenta cake a few weeks ago when a family member was feeling poorly, I hoped it’ll brighten their day and bring them much needed cheer.

This is the kind of cake you bake on a quiet Saturday afternoon just before your evening starts; it’s a moment for peaceful contemplation as you measure, slice, mix and finally bake.

Or make it on a Sunday morning when everyone is sleeping in, you’ll get to savour the silence and gratitude as delicious aromas of baking wakes up the house.

This is a beautiful cake, not just because it’s good-looking but figuratively because it’s infused with loving ingredients… citrus, coconut milk, agave, almond milk, stone-ground polenta and white whole-wheat flour.

It takes little effort to put together and it’s wonderfully crumbly with a moist interior and a sweet crispiness from the cornmeal, it’s also fruity, the blood orange has a tangy, rich marmalade-like flavour that makes me wish I’d loaded the bottom with more slices.

This cake does bring the cheer; it goes perfectly with coffee or tea, it’s good on its own too.

[Tweet ” A bright and cheerful winter citrus #cake with blood orange and #polenta. #vegan “]