Nigella Lawson Clementine Cake

HeatherFeather's Note:

This recipe comes from Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat" and was demonstrated on her tv program, Nigella Bites." Ground almonds take the place of flour in this recipe - made sure they are finely ground or they will taste gritty. I have not yet made this, as I am posting this in respsonse to a request. Nigella adapted this recipe from several recipes, including one by Claudia Roden. It should come out very moist and syrupy. If you like, you may also sub lemons or oranges (see variation below) and also, you may pour a powdered sugar glaze over the cooled cake if you like. Nigella recommends serving this with some creme fraiche(which I might sweeten first) on top of each serving. Prep time is about 15 minutes, plus the 2 hours of simmering the Clementines.

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 4 -5 clementines (approximately 1 pound total weight)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar , plus 2
• 1 tablespoon additional granulated sugar
• 2 1⁄3; cups finely ground almonds
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1. Place whole, unpeeled clementines into a pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and let cook 2 hours (she doesn't say to add any additional water in her recipe, but I imagine you may need to add some if too much simmers away).
3. Drain, let cool, then cut each Clementine in half, remove seeds, and place in food processor- skins and all.
4. Chop the Clementines in the processor finely.
5. In a bowl, beat the eggs.
6. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder to the eggs, mixing well.
7. Add the chopped Clementines by hand and mix to combine.
8. Pour batter into a greased and parchment lined 8-inch springform pan.
9. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 40 minutes, then cover loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning and CONTINUE cooking about another 10 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
10. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack overnight.
11. VARIATION: You can substitute an equal weight of regular oranges or lemons for the Clementines; increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups if you do so.
12. OPTIONAL GLAZE: If you wish, you may make a glaze from a little powdered sugar mixed with a bit of lemon juice and water and drizzle it over the top (see my recipe for Cinnamon Bun Icing for a good glaze).

Reviews

[PanNan]

The cake is very moist, although I wouldn't call it syrupy. It has just the right amount of sweetness, and that great Clementine flavor. A nice cake to serve with coffee. We enjoyed it. One side note for the budget conscious - the 2 1/3 cups of almond "meal" was expensive (even if you make it yourself it takes a lot of almonds).

[Flowerfairy]

This is a nice, moist cake. Very different from other cakes! Make sure to carefully squeeze out the excess liquid of the clementines, otherwise your cake gets TOO moist. Quick recipe and great cake to impress your guests after a (perhaps) Middle-Eastern meal, although I prefer Nigella's chocolate orange cake from 'Feast' (similar recipe).

[lisa mack]

This cake is fantastic. I made it exactly like the recipe, and it turned out moist and dense. I loved the smell of the simmering Clementines.