FEBRUARY/MARCH 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 21CLEMENTINE CAKES ARE almost
always tender single-layer cakes made
with ground clementines. They can be
upside down or right side up and are
typically dusted with confectioners’
sugar or covered with a glaze (chocolate
or sugar) and decorated with candied
slices of their namesake fruit. It seems
odd, but the pulverized clementines add
just the right amount of sweet, sour, and
floral citrus flavor to every bite.
I began by baking five clementine
cake recipes. Each one was unique,
but they all called for ground almonds
as the base of the cake (a few added
a bit of flour, too). The clementine
flavor in the best of these cakes was
surprisingly sweet, with just a hint of
pleasant bitterness. But those recipes
called for cooking the whole clemen-
tines in water for 2 hours (to tame the
rind’s bitterness and soften the fruit)
before pulverizing them in a food
processor. Was cooking them for that
long really necessary?
Thankfully, through a few days of
testing, I discovered that while the
clementines did need to be softened
before grinding, a long boiling time
wasn’t necessary. Microwaving the fruit
in a covered bowl for just a few minutes
did a splendid job of softening it and
getting rid of most of the bitterness.
As for the cake itself, my tasters
loved the rich flavor provided by the
ground almonds (sliced almonds that
I had buzzed in a food processor), but
using all ground almonds made the
texture gritty and dense. Cutting the
almonds with some flour made for a
sturdier, lighter cake. I also discovered
that a well-greased springform pan was
necessary to get the best result—it’s
important that this single-layer cake
be tall, and a springform pan has taller
sides than a cake pan.
For the top of the cake, we loved
the version that called for a thick
white glaze draped over the cake, so it
was just a matter of finding the ideal
ratio of confectioners’ sugar to water
(plus a pinch of salt). We also fell for
the beautiful slices of candied clem-
entines that adorned some versions.
To get consistent ¼-inch-thick slices,
I found that it helped to chill the fruit
and then use a mandoline; from there,
all it took was a stint in boiling sugar
water to nicely candy the fruit. The
candied clementines looked amazing
when laid atop the white glaze—they
tasted great, too, adding a sweet-tart
citrus punch.
Having worked through all the ele-
ments, I baked and assembled one last
cake. I then listened to my coworkers
ooh and aah as I sliced into the finished
cake. Let’s just say there weren’t any
leftovers.CLEMENTINE CAKE
Serves 8
Look for clementines that are about
2 inches in diameter (about 1¾ ounces
each). We recommend using a
mandoline to get consistent slices
of clementine to arrange on top of
the cake; you can also use a chef’s
knife. We found it easier to slice the
clementines when they were cold. You
will have a few more candied clemen-
tine slices than you will need; use the
nicest-looking ones for the cake’s top.CAKE
9 ounces clementines, unpeeled,
stemmed (about 5 clementines)
21⁄4 cups (7½ ounces) sliced blanched
almonds, toasted
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
11⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt10 tablespoons unsalted butter,
cut into 10 pieces and softened
11⁄2 cups (101⁄2 ounces) granulated sugar
5 large eggsCANDIED CLEMENTINES
4 clementines, unpeeled, stemmed
1 cup water
1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon saltGLAZE
2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
21⁄2 tablespoons water, plus extra as
needed
Pinch salt- FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack
to middle position and heat oven to
325 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform
pan with vegetable oil spray, line bot-
tom with parchment paper, and grease
parchment. Microwave clementines
in covered bowl until softened and
some juice is released, about 3 minutes.
Discard juice and let clementines cool
for 10 minutes. - Process almonds, flour, baking
powder, and salt in food processor
until almonds are finely ground, about
30 seconds; transfer to second bowl.
Add clementines to now-empty proces-
sor and process until smooth, about
1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl
as needed. - Using stand mixer fitted with
paddle, beat butter and sugar on
medium-high speed until pale and
fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one
at a time, and beat until combined,
scraping down bowl as needed. Add
clementine puree and beat until incor-
porated, about 30 seconds. - Reduce speed to low and add
almond mixture in 3 additions until
just combined, scraping down bowl
as needed. Using rubber spatula, give
batter final stir by hand. Transfer bat-
ter to prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake until toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean, 55 minutes to 1 hour.
Let cake cool completely in pan on
wire rack, about 2 hours.- FOR THE CANDIED CLEMEN-
TINES: Meanwhile, line baking sheet
with triple layer of paper towels. Slice
clementines ¼ inch thick perpendicular
to stem; discard rounded ends. Bring
water, sugar, and salt to simmer in
small saucepan over medium heat and
cook until sugar has dissolved, about
1 minute. Add clementines and cook
until softened, about 6 minutes. Using
tongs, transfer clementines to prepared
sheet and let cool for at least 30 min-
utes, flipping halfway through cooling
to blot away excess moisture. - FOR THE GLAZE: Whisk sugar,
water, and salt in bowl until smooth.
Adjust consistency with extra water
as needed, ½ teaspoon at a time, until
glaze has consistency of thick craft glue
and leaves visible trail in bowl when
drizzled from whisk. - Carefully run paring knife around
cake and remove side of pan. Using
thin metal spatula, lift cake from pan
bottom; discard parchment and trans-
fer cake to serving platter. Pour glaze
over cake and smooth top with offset
spatula, allowing some glaze to drip
down sides. Let sit for 1 hour to set. - Just before serving, select 8 uniform
candied clementine slices (you will
have more than 8 slices; reserve extra
slices for another use) and blot away
excess moisture with additional paper
towels. Arrange slices around top edge
of cake, evenly spaced. Serve. (Cake
can be wrapped in plastic wrap and
stored at room temperature for up to
2 days.)
Key Steps to a Cake That Tastes Like Sunshine
Microwave the clementines, covered, so
that they steam, soften, release a bit of
juice, and become less bitter.
Process the almonds, flour, baking
powder, and salt until the almonds are
finely ground.Blitz the cooled softened clementines in
a food processor until smooth and add
them to the batter.Adjust the consistency of the glaze with
just enough water until it leaves a trail
when drizzled from the whisk.