Clementine cake made with whole clementines and almonds. Seriously delicious, naturally gluten-free and super easy to make. A must-bake for fans of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 🙂
2-3seedless mandarins or orangessliced into thin rounds
For the cake
4medium clementines or mandarins375g / 13 oz
250g( 1 ¼ cups) sugar
6large eggs
250g(2 ¼ cups) ground almonds
1orangezest only (optional)
1tspbaking powder
To glaze the cake
4tbspsmooth marmaladeslightly warm
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/170°C Fan (375ºF / 345°F fan-forced). Mist an 8 inch spring form pan with cake release and line the bottom with baking paper. If you like you can line the cake pan with thin citrus slices as I have done, but it’s not necessary.
Scrub the clementines clean. Place the fruit in a microwave-safe container with a lid (ideally one with a vent). Pour water to almost cover them and pierce each fruit with a knife. Cook for 10 minutes or until the clementines are soft all the way through.
Slice in half and remove the seeds, if any. Discard the water and leave the fruit to cool slightly before blitzing to a smooth pulp in a food processor.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat for a few minutes with a hand or stand mixer. Add the zest and then stir in the fruit pulp.
Sift the ground almonds and baking powder into the bowl and stir or beat to combine until the batter is smooth. Carefully pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and tap gently on the counter to release air bubbles.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or up to an hour until the cake feels firm to the touch. You might need to tend the cake with foil after 40 minutes if the cake is browning too quickly.
Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan to release the sides before carefully opening the spring form pan. Carefully invert onto a wire rack (this cake is quite fragile as it contains no gluten). Brush the warm cake with the marmalade to add a shiny glaze before serving.