I know, I know, I know it’s not really the time for cakes in health-conscious diet-ridden January. But it’s REALLY cold here, as it is in the UK. And now that the christmas cake’s finally been gnawed away (it was huge!) I’ve been in need of a little cakey sustenance to ward off the cold. And on the whole this is about as healthy as a cake can be. No butter, no icing, no drizzle, not even any flour. Just cooked (whole!) clementines (or tangerines or satsumas), ground almonds, eggs and sugar. Oh and a little Amaretto to perk things up a little. And it’s a truly wonderful all-rounder of the cakey world, equally delicious as a tea time treat (yes I’m entering it!) with a cuppa, an elevensie with a coffee or even a dinner party pud dolled up with a spoon of mascarpone or creme fraiche.
Originally a Nigella recipe that I’ve slightly adapted over time, but interesting the exact same recipe’s been sighted in a Bill Granger book too. And I mean EXACT. So who’s copying who Nige and Bill?!
As this month’s Tea Time Treat’s theme is the citrus fruit I’m entering Bill’s/Nigella’s recipe to the challenge. TTT’s is jointly hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked.
I’m also putting it forward to the One Ingredient Challenge, hosted by Laura at How to Cook Good Food (this month’s host to the Orange Challenge) and Nazima at Franglais Kitchen.
Clementine & Almond Cake
375g of clementines, tangerines or satsumas (they all work!)
5 large free range eggs
225g of golden caster sugar
250g of ground almonds
a heaped teaspoon of baking powder, sieved
a tablespoon of Amaretto
a little icing sugar for dusting
Special Equipment: a 21cm spring-sided baking tin lined with greaseproof paper
Place the clementines in a saucepan and cover the fruit with cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer away for 2 hours. Top up the water level as it drops. After 2 hours remove from the water and allow to cool for a few minutes. Whiz to a pulp in a processor.
Pre-heat your oven to 190ºC.
Now on with this cinch of a cake. Whisk up the eggs in a large bowl, using a balloon whisk. Then whisk in the sugar followed by the ground almonds and baking powder. Finally stir in the clementine pulp.
Pour the cake mixture into your lined cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for around 40 minutes. It should be golden on top, firm to touch and an inserted skewer will come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack.
Once cool carefully remove from the tin and lightly dust with sieved icing sugar. Serve as is or with a naughty spoon of creme fraiche or mascarpone.
Here’s some other Chez Foti cakey treats you might like to try: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake, Courgette Cake with Homemade Lemon Curd, Super-Fruity Banana Mini Muffins
Chez Foti 
January 18th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
This is a wonderful cake that I enjoy making myself. I love the texture of it and the smell is pretty gorgeous too. This chilly weather calls for cake to be baked and I think this fits the bill perfectly!
I am hosting One Ingredient and it’s oranges this month. Would you like to enter your cake? Others who have baked with clementines have if you fancy it!
January 18th, 2013 at 7:10 pm
Thanks Laura, it is a really good cake isn’t it, and so easy. I’d be delighted to enter this month’s One Ingredient Challenge and will do now, I thought it was strictly just oranges!
January 18th, 2013 at 5:41 pm
I’m always on the look out for flour-free cakes to make when I need something gluten-free for friends. Your cake looks perfect, but much too good to save for just gluten-free occasions – I’ll be making this at home soon!
January 18th, 2013 at 7:11 pm
It is indeed a very good gluten-free cake. Do try it, it’s a bit of a gem of a cake you’ll end up making time and time again!. And as I said almost healthy!
January 18th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
I love this kind of cake, not too dense and heavy. I can’t manage really ‘cakey’ cakes, if that even makes sense!!! My Mum makes a similar one and I love it. I’ll give this one a go. It’s making me want a nice cup of tea right now and a slice…send one over would you? x
January 18th, 2013 at 7:13 pm
It is nice to have a lighter kind of cake, especially after all the excesses of christmas, though I do like dense cakey cakes too. Well any cake actually!. Would love to send you a slice over, but cake doesn’t hang around long in our house. All gone.
January 18th, 2013 at 8:34 pm
I make a cake similar to this but with polenta instead of almonds. This one looks delicious though…
January 19th, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Oh polenta’s really good in a cake too, I’ve also baked with it in the past with fab results. Must dig out the recipe, thanks for reminding me!
January 19th, 2013 at 1:24 am
Oooh yum! Love anything with Amaretto in desserts!
January 19th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Thanks Anne, I always add a splash of Amaretto to almondy cakes or puds, seems to highlight the flavour somewhat.
January 19th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
What a LOVELY LOVELY cake for January’s Tea Time Treats! I LOVE clementines and that is just perfect! Thanks! Karen
January 20th, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Ah thanks Karen. It’s actually one of the best cakes I’ve made, though I don’t make that many! And lovely to have the whole fruit in, as I said ALMOST healthy!
January 19th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
This looks and sounds amazing and I bet it makes your kitchen smell delicious when baking too? Have stopped by from MBPW, and will definitely be coming back 🙂
January 20th, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Thanks for stopping by, the kitchen did indeed smell gorgeously fragrant. Please come back!
January 20th, 2013 at 10:55 am
I made this cake for my mother-in-laws birthday last year as she doesn’t eat gluten and loves almonds, so it was perfect. Haven’t checked yet, but have Bill and Nigella both been inspired by Claudia Roden? Yours looks so tempting and with all those clementines I think you’ve chosen the perfect cake for January.
January 20th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Just googled Claudia Roden’s Almond & Orange Cake and sure enough almost the exact same recipe again! Though her’s was obviously published way before Bill and Nigella back in 1968. Well it is a very good cake, so no wonder everyone’s using it! How funny.
January 20th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
A lovely recipe Louisa and I think it counts as healthy with so few ‘bad’ ingredients. Lovely x
January 21st, 2013 at 10:30 am
Thanks Ren! And if you ate enough you’d being eating one of your five a day too :))
January 21st, 2013 at 12:15 pm
So pleased that you shared this recipe, it’s so cold out and I am really yearning for something cakey! I have all the ingredients so am going to get right on with it, should be perfect timing for a sit down by the woodburner for afternoon tea! Thanks.
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:08 am
Ah thanks Alex, really hope you made it yesterday!. It’s definitely one of my favourite cakes and so easy to put together 🙂
January 22nd, 2013 at 5:54 pm
I did, it’s delicious, really hit the spot! 🙂
January 31st, 2013 at 6:01 am
[…] 35. Clementine and Almond Cake by Louisa of Chez Foti: Louisa says that on the whole this is about as healthy as a cake can be. No butter, no icing, no drizzle, not even any flour. Just cooked (whole!) clementines (or tangerines or satsumas), ground almonds, eggs and sugar. Oh and a little Amaretto to perk things up a little…..it sounds and looks to good to be true Louisa! […]
February 3rd, 2013 at 11:02 pm
[…] at CHEZ FOTI baked up a clementine and almond cake. This is certainly a cake I have baked a few times myself and […]