This is so easy and quick to make I don't know why I don't make it more often - and having tasted it again after such a long time I'm thinking we can have another one next week but will cover it with a chocolate ganache. Which then leads on to it being like a chocolate orange and just perfect for Christmas! Oranges are a very christmassy fruit both for its scent and flavour and I think this would make a perfect cake for Christmas, as I said with a chocolate ganache and perhaps some frosted fruit on top for decoration.
Anyway, the ingredients are:
4 - 5 clementines (about 375g total weight)
6 eggs
225g sugar
250g ground almonds
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
Put the clementines in a pan with cold water and bring to the boil - then simmer for 2 hours. Drain and then cool. Once cool cut in half and remove any pips. Place the whole fruit - skin, pith, fruit into a food processor and blitz until it is pulped completely.
Preheat your oven to 190C and butter and line a 21cm springform tin (I used a loose bottomed tin).
Now - at this point Nigella says not to use the processor for the remainder of ingredients, but I have to say I did put everything in the processor, one ingredient at a time, pulse, put in the next ingredient until it was all completely mixed and there were no pieces of clementine skin visible - apart from tiny little flecks.
Pour the batter-like mixture into your tin and bake for an hour.
Nigella suggested covering with a piece of foil or greaseproof after about 40 minutes to stop the top from burning - I did this with some greaseproof but I don't think I did it soon enough - as you can see, the outside is slightly singed - although the taste is unaffected.
Once taken out of the oven leave to cool on a rack in its tin until the cake is cold.
I had a slice for breakfast yesterday morning! I just couldn't resist and apart from the sugar - it's a healthy option (well, that's my excuse anyway).
It was lovely for afternoon tea yesterday after school - the girls ate it with a slice of cheese! I don't know why, but they like it that way!
I think I might send this to Ren Behan for the Simple and in Season/Fabulicious Food! competition.
Oh, and just so that you know, this recipe was taken from Nigella Lawson's How To Eat.
This looks so easy must try it - and I love cake for breakfast, naughty but nice - I have Nigella's How to Eat but must have missed this one. Good luck in the Fabulicious Food comp. Hope you worked out how to link shame you missed out with the Apple pudding.
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely. Who said you can't have cake for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI've heard so much about this cake, but for some reason still haven't made it. Yours looks lovely. Really light and hard to tell there are clementines in there at all. Love the idea of covering it with chocolate - great Christmas cake.
ReplyDeleteMagnolia Verandah - you must try it. Can you get clementines in Australia at this time of year? Or is that a really stupid question?
ReplyDeleteThe Cookie Jar - it tastes as good as it looks and I thank you for making me feel less guilty about eating cake for breakfast.
Choclette - it is light and slightly sticky with tiny flecks of orange (clementine skin) which is really attractive. Do try it.
Jennifer, what a wonderful cake, once we are back from Ireland (flying visit over the weekend) I will bake it.
ReplyDeleteI've made this cake once, when I first saw Nigella making it and have forgotten about it since. I so have to make it, esp. as my husband has picked up some tasteless clementines - turning them into cake would be much more welcomed I think. The chocolate coating is clever, though I think I may have to give it a miss. I've eaten a lot of chocolate recently.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea. I do love clementine so will try this out !
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