Sweet Sticky Clementine Cake with Candied Oranges
Description
This sweet and sticky clementine cake is a perfect Christmas dessert. Whole clementines are boiled until soft, blended smooth, and folded into an almond-based batter for a moist, fruity crumble-free cake. It is finished with a fresh orange syrup and topped with delicate candied orange slices and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 small clementines skin on
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1.5 cups ground almonds
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
For the Syrup
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 orange juice and zest
For Decorating
- 1 orange thinly sliced
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Leaving the skin on, boil the clementines in boiling water for about 20 minutes until fully soft.
- Remove from the water and, once cooled, cut in half to remove any seeds.
- Add the clementines to a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Add the mixture to a mixing bowl with the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest and whisk together.
- Add in the olive oil and combine.
- Fold in the ground almonds and baking powder.
- Pour into a lined 8-inch cake tin and bake for 50 minutes until golden on top.
- While the cake is baking, make the candied oranges: thinly slice the orange, then add to a pan on medium-low heat with the sugar and water. Let them simmer for 20 minutes until the oranges become soft, sticky, and sweet.
- Once the cake is out of the oven, pierce it several times with a fork. Whilst it cools, make the syrup by melting the orange juice, zest, and sugar together on low heat until it forms a syrup.
- Pour the syrup over the cake.
- Decorate with the candied oranges and a dusting of powdered sugar.
Notes
- The clementines must be boiled until completely soft to create a smooth batter with no chunks.
- Let the cake cool slightly before pouring the syrup over so it absorbs well without making the cake soggy.
- Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.