Baking without flour is a challenge, but I never despair when Pork Belly is around. ‘Waste not, want not’ is his battle-cry. Rather like a stick of rock, I suspect those words are actually printed on his innards.
I knew something was cooking (literally) when a rather tuneless hum wafted its way out of the kitchen and his manly baritone burst forth, in the key of off.
“Oh my darling, Oh my darling,
Oh my darling Clementine
I have boiled you, I have blitzed you
And I’ve made this cake all mine.”
That’s what he did – took a load of leftover clementines, boiled them up and used them to make a gluten-free clementine and almond cake.
History of clementines
Clementines probably didn’t exist before the turn of the last century. It’s thought they were created as a hybrid of a tangerine and sweet orange by Louis Charles Trabut, a French botanist and physician, who named the resulting fruit after Brother Clement, a monk and keen horticulturist whom Trabut knew.
The name was first registered in 1902, but it’s entirely possible that the fruit already existed in China, where it was known as the Canton mandarin.
Whatever the truth of it, clementines are available most of the year but sell in large numbers from mid-November through January, living up to their nickname of “Christmas oranges”.
This recipe is based on a classic cake from the Mediterranean, Morocco and the Middle East, where it’s often served as a dessert during traditional Sephardic Passover celebrations.
It’s naturally gluten-free, using ground almonds instead of flour, and it’s dairy-free too.
Clementine and almond cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 5 clementines (about 500g total weight), washed and unpeeled
- 1 lime, washed and unpeeled
- 100 grams stem ginger
- 6 eggs
- 250 grams caster sugar
- 300 grams ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping (optional)
- 30 grams sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 25 grams dairy-free spread
- 2 clementines, zest and juice
- 100 grams flaked almonds
Instructions
For the cake
- Put unpeeled clementines and lime in a pot with cold water cover with a lid, bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Check every now and again to ensure it doesn't boil dry
- Drain and when cool, cut clementines and lime into quarters and add the stem ginger. Blitz the lot – skins, pith and fruit – with a hand blender or food processor
- Pre-heat oven to 180c/gas mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 9-inch spring-form tin
- Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until thick and creamy
- Fold in the almonds and baking powder and add the clementine purée and vanilla. Mix well but gently
- Pour cake mixture into prepared pan and bake for an hour to an hour and a half, test with a skewer – if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. You may need to cover the cake with foil after about 60 minutes to stop the top from getting too dark
- Remove from oven and leave to cool, on a rack, Leave in the tin until cold
For the optional topping
- Put the sugar, spread/butter and honey into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves
- Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Add the almonds and keep stirring, you are looking for a light golden brown colour
- Add the zest and juice and bring back to the boil before spooning onto the top of the cake and spreading gently
Other recipes you may like:
• Irish whiskey coffee cake
• Eliza Acton’s Plum Pudding
• Chocolate brownie strawberry shortbread