Clementine Cake
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO EATIntroduction
This is a wonderfully damp, dense and aromatic flourless cake: it tastes like one of those sponges you drench, while cooling, with syrup, only you don't have to.
And it's such an accommodating kind of cake, too: it keeps well, indeed it gets better after a few days; and it is perfect either as a pudding with creme fraiche, or as a sustaining slice with a mug of tea at any time of the day.
This is a wonderfully damp, dense and aromatic flourless cake: it tastes like one of those sponges you drench, while cooling, with syrup, only you don't have to.
And it's such an accommodating kind of cake, too: it keeps well, indeed it gets better after a few days; and it is perfect either as a pudding with creme fraiche, or as a sustaining slice with a mug of tea at any time of the day.
Ingredients
Serves: 8-10
- approx. 375 grams clementines (approx. 4)
- 6 large eggs
- 225 grams white sugar
- 250 grams ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (see NOTE below)
- approx. 13 ounces clementines (approx. 4)
- 6 large eggs
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2¼ cups almond meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (see NOTE below)
Method
- Put the clementines in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil, partially with the lid and cook for 2 hours. Drain, discarding the cooking water, and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the pips. Dump the clementines - skins, pith, fruit and all - and give a quick blitz in a food processor (or by hand, of course). Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/190ºC/170°C Fan/375ºF. Butter and line a 20cm / 8 inch Springform tin.
- You can then add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix. Or, you can beat the eggs by hand adding the sugar, almonds and baking powder, mixing well, then finally adding the pulped oranges.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for an hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover with foil or greaseproof after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the tin. When the cake's cold, you can take it out of the tin. I think this is better a day after it's made, but I don't complain about eating it at any time.
- I've also made this with an equal weight of oranges, and with lemons, in which case I increase the sugar to 250g / 2¼ cups and slightly anglicise it, too, by adding a glaze made of icing sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.
- Put the clementines in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil, partially with the lid and cook for 2 hours. Drain, discarding the cooking water, and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the pips. Dump the clementines - skins, pith, fruit and all - and give a quick blitz in a food processor (or by hand, of course). Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/190ºC/170°C Fan/375ºF. Butter and line a 20cm / 8 inch Springform tin.
- You can then add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix. Or, you can beat the eggs by hand adding the sugar, almonds and baking powder, mixing well, then finally adding the pulped oranges.
- Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for an hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover with foil or greaseproof after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the tin. When the cake's cold, you can take it out of the tin. I think this is better a day after it's made, but I don't complain about eating it at any time.
- I've also made this with an equal weight of oranges, and with lemons, in which case I increase the sugar to 250g / 2¼ cups and slightly anglicise it, too, by adding a glaze made of icing sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.
Additional Information
NOTE: to make this cake gluten-free, make sure to use gluten-free baking powder, or omit the baking powder altogether.
NOTE: to make this cake gluten-free, make sure to use gluten-free baking powder, or omit the baking powder altogether.
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What 76 Others have said
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Show more commentsLike Ilovefood, I microwave the clementines/oranges: place whole fruit in a large glass bowl, enough to fit side by side & cover with just enough boiling water. Microwave for 10 min on high. Take out of the water and put in a fresh ( cool) bowl. While in bowl (to save the juices) cut in half or quarters & cool. Fruit will be ready to blitz in about 20 min.
to avoid the "boiling for 2hrs" my tip is to microwave lots of clementines until soft & blitz. I weigh 375g portions, bag them and put in the freezer, to avoid that last minute baking session where I have no clementines!
Amazing cake, seriously moist, as if it's been soaked in syrup. Went down a storm with the family (didn't last long) who have requested it again! I did need quite a few clementines (around 8 small ones) to get the 375g after boiling as they did shrink a bit, and needed to cover it with foil after about 20 mins but it was so easy to make. Highly recommended!
I have my clementines boiling to make this again today. It is a request from my friends who are coming to tea tomorrow. They loved it the first time I made it for them. Enough said!!
Loved this recipe. The cake was lovely and moist and really tasted of clementines. Will try with lemons and tangerines next. My only disappointment was that it did crack a little at the edges when removing from the tin.
I made this cake at the weekend and it was so moist and absolutely delicious. I did add a lemon simply because the clementines I had were small. If you want a nice dessert and impress at the same time do try Nigella's Clementine Cake.
Simply MERVEILLEUX!!!!!
Made this the other day and it was amazing - and everyone who had it raved (So I gave Nigella all the credit ;o) Didn't have clementines, so I used mandarins, which were excellent, but bigger, so it only took two. Couple of questions for folks: 1) I used the courser ground almond meal, not the finer almond flour. Has any used both and have a preference/recommendation? 2) Has anyone tried making this using muffin or mini-muffin tins? If so, how much did you shorten the time, and did they come out as amazing?
It’s delicious I made it to take to work for my colleagues. Boiling the clementines for two hours was a chore but I think I’ll try the pressure cooker next time. It will definitely go in my recipe book
This cake is so good. Followed the directions exactly. Ground my own almonds, though will grind them finer next time. I left the cake overnight in the fridge, before trying, as I saw in comments that it can help to ensure a moist cake. The cake tastes so fresh and is so simple. Can't wait to try the recipe with other citrus fruits.
I made this cake for a family gathering last week, it was wonderful! I love this recipe!
I've made this lovely cake numerous times now and for me it never fails nor gets too dark on top; it is simple yet moist and tasty so always gets nice compliments when I share it. It does taste great the day after cooking if it lasts that long in your home. It is a bit of a drag cooking the clementines for two hours (if your impatient like me) so know that I've done it twice now for only one hour simmering in water and it still works! I will have to try the pressure cooking method mentioned below...15 minutes surely can't be beaten :)