Citrus Fruit For Clementine Cake

Our answer

Nigella's Clementine Cake (from HOW TO EAT) is a gluten-free cake made with whole clementines that have been cooked until very soft. The cooked fruit, including the skin, is pureed with eggs, sugar and ground almonds (almond meal).

Clementines and tangerines are both part of the mandarin family and in some recipes they can be interchangeable, but they are different. Clementines are usually smaller, thinner skinned and seedless. Tangerines are larger, thicker skinned and sometimes less sweet. We suspect that the thicker skin of the tangerine is the main reason for the cake tasting as described; the skin has more white pith and this pith can be very bitter. Unfortunately this will affect the taste of the cake and we would suggest trying the cake again with thin-skinned clementines.