Clementine Almond Cake

By MaryEllen

The cake combines whole oranges or clementines (that are poached in water until soft), ground almonds, eggs, sugar and baking powder. That’s it. No butter, no creaming techniques like you might with a layer cake. These few ingredients allow each one to truly shine. You taste the citrus and you taste the almonds and the simple, one-layer cake needs nothing. No frosting, no dusting of confectioners’ sugar (unless you want it) and it actually improves upon sitting. I like this cake on days 2 and 3 the best, making it a perfect cake to make ahead for a brunch or to accompany tea or coffee. And the cake is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 (about 375 g)clementines, preferably organic, scrubbed (I used halos and there were no seeds)
• 3 cups (258 g) sliced natural almonds*
• 6 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (198 g) plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
• Per a reviewer...I used Trader Joe’s “Just Almond Meal” for the Lemon Cake version of this recipe, and it appears to have worked just fine.

Details

Adapted from fodmapeveryday.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation:

Place clementines in a pot and cover with cold water by an inch (2.5 cm). Cover and bring to a boil, adjust heat and simmer for 1 hour. Keep covered, turn off heat and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Coat the inside of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with nonstick spray; set aside.
Meanwhile, pulverize the almonds in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. I pulse on and off, then let the machine run until you have ground the almonds very fine, but not until they get powdery. They should still have a little texture, but not much. Transfer the ground almonds to a small bowl; carefully wipe out the food processor with a paper towel and reassemble with the metal blade.
Pluck clementines out of their cooking liquid and transfer to a cutting board. Dispose of the poaching water. Slice them into quarters and pick out any seeds (see Tips). Dump clementines and any juices into the re-assembled food processor and pulse on and off, then process until a thick paste/purée forms; set aside.
Beat eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until they are thick and a ribbon forms when you drizzle the mixture back on itself. Fold in the ground almonds and baking powder until almost completely blended, then add clementine purée and fold in until everything is well combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 20 minutes, cover the top with foil, turn oven down to 350°F/180°C, and continue baking for about 40 minutes more or until a toothpick tests clean when inserted in the center. Cool pan on a rack or about 20 minutes, then run an icing spatula between cake and pan, then release springform and remove outer ring. Allow the cake to cool completely. Cake can be served the day it is made but we think it improves after a day or two. Wrap cooled cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature until needed. Serve cake as is, or with a few berries on the side.

Tips

You could use blanched (peeled) sliced almonds, but they are usually more expensive. The cake will be lighter in color if you do because the almond skins will not be present.
I often place the whole clementines right into the food processor. I get lazy and don’t bother to remove the seeds and the end result works for me. I tried this because I make a raw cranberry orange relish that uses whole raw oranges and I never had an issue with the seeds. Try either way and make a decision based on your own palate.