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A clementine cake and citrus curd

I’ve never been an adventurous person. I’m probably the least adventurous person there is.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love travelling, seeing new places and meeting new people.
But, I would never ever in my life consider sky diving, bungee jumping, or even going on a roller coaster (I did that once, when I was like 13-14 or something.. trust me when I say you wouldn’t want to be the person sitting next to me). I also experience terrible motion sickness, something which I can even experience when watching TV. I hate flying too. The day before flying to Mallorca last year, Christian rented the movie “Flight”. Yeah, not such a good idea.

 

Speaking of movies, and adventures, last weekend we went to see The secret life of Walter Mitty. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this movie. It definitely encouraged me to be a little bit more adventurous. I left the movie theatre feeling refreshed and inspired. And the soundtrack! I especially love Dirty Paws by Of monsters and men which is the song from my favorite scene.
It definitely inspired me to bake this clementine cake.. which has a funny way of coming back throughout the whole movie. So, even if you don’t want to go see the movie (which I think you should), at least bake this cake. It’s probably one of the moistest cakes I’ve ever tasted. Delicious! 










Clementine cake
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson, via Smitten Kitchen

Notes on this recipe:

– This recipe is gluten free and dairy free (if you “butter” your pan with margarine)
– I baked this cake in a regular cake pan (not a spring form pan) and it worked perfectly fine, just be very careful when removing the cake from the pan as it is very soft and breaks easily. I used a round cake board (a flat plate works too) just slightly smaller than the pan to put on top of the cake, held my hand on it, then turned the cake pan upside down. Voila! A very easy way to remove the cake without it breaking.
-This cake is just fine on it’s own, it really is super moist and delicious, but to make it like the one in The secret life of Walter Mitty I knew I had to make icing and candied clementines to put on top. 





Ingredients
Clementine cake

3 to 5 clementines (depending on size, about 360-375 grams)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) sugar
2 1/3 cups (250 grams) ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Candied clementines
2-3 clementines
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (375 g)
1 cup water

Clementine icing
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 clementines, juice

Directions
Clementine cake

1. Put the clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the
boil, and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine
in half and remove the seeds. Then finely chop the skins, pith, and
fruit (yes, the whole fruit) in the processor (or by hand, of course).

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190°C).

3. Butter and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

4. Beat
the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding
the chopped clementines.

5. Pour the cake
mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 40-60 minutes (start checking after 35-40 minutes) in the lower part of the oven. If the top starts burning, cover cake with foil. Check with a skewer to make sure the cake is done.

6. Remove from the oven and
leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can take
it out of the pan. 

Candied clementines
1. Slice clementines thinly. Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan. Add clementine slices and let simmer until slices are soft, about 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack or a piece of baking paper.

Clementine icing

1. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Add
about two tablespoons of clementine juice and mix to a smooth paste.
Add more juice as necessary, until you reach desired
consistency.

2. Pour the icing over the cake and spread lightly with a spoon. Top with candied clementines.

Citrus curd
Yields ~ 2 cups

Notes on this recipe:
– This recie can easily be halved for a smaller amount.
– Total amount of citrus juice used for this recipe should be about 200 ml (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
– When zesting citrus fruits, remember to not use the with pith as it’s bitter. 
– Use organic fruits if you can, and make sure to wash them thouroghly before using. 
– It’s best to juice citrus at room temperature as they give away more juice that way.
– Keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator if stored in an air tight container. 
– Freezes well! 
– To make lemon curd instead, use a total amount of 4 lemons.
– Use as filling in cakes, cupcakes, tarts. Mix with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serve with scones… or just eat it with a spoon. 
 

Ingredients

1 orange, zest and juice
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 clementine, zest and juice
2 lime fruits, zest and juice
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
100 g butter / a scant stick of butter, cut in pieces

Directions
1. Put zest, juice, granulated sugar and eggs in a heat proof bowl on top of a sauce pan with simmering water (or a double boiler). You can make the curd directly in a saucepan too but keep in mind that it curdles a lot easier.

2. Either way, whisk constantly and continue to cook until mixture thickens (it should be quite thick, but remember that it will thicken further when chilled).

3. Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir until butter has melted.

4. Strain over a bowl with a fine mesh sieve. Cover with plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for at least 4 hour or preferably overnight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Clementine is one of my favorite winter fruit! Love your cake! It makes me remember one of the best cake I've ever baked: an orange & almond one with candied oranges on top! I also tried the same recipe with limes but never thought of clementines! Yum. Both recipes are on my blog if you want to try out new flavours!
    ps. Kumquats, this cake must be something with candied kumquats too! 😀

    Reply

  9. I have only seen the trailer but I was already fascinated by this movie, I am looking forward to seeing it. Beautiful photos, as always. I personally don't like citrussy aromas in cakes, but these pictures make me almost change my mind.

    Reply

  10. Every time I see a new post coming from you, I feel like there is a small celebration going on so I treat it like one: I stop whatever I'm doing and I read it with the respect that it deserves. I'm not one to comment often,actually I don't do it at all, and that's bad, I know, because you should let the people that inspire you, know how much their work means to you and how much you appreciate it. So that's what I'm doing here 🙂 Letting you know how unbelievably beautiful your photos are, how much it inspires me, how it makes me want to try new recipes all the time and bake even more than I already do, if that's possible, make better cookies and prettier cakes, and how it makes me want to learn more about photography and slowly get better at it. Your blogs and your work are like a constant inspiration/mouth watering daily dose, haha. Also I can not wait for your book to come out in English, I've been reading your blog almost since the begging and I know it may sound strange but I feel so happy for you, seeing you do all these amazing things/books, and in a way I'm also proud of everything you do?! Strange I know, but food does that to you, makes you feel strange and happy thoughts, all at the same time.
    I wrote a small novel there, but I felt like I needed to say something 🙂
    All the best,Linda, and I hope you get to do what you love as long as you wish 🙂

    Have a lovely evening,
    Mihaela.

    Reply

  12. I love cakes like these, ground almond is always a winner in my book, plus it makes the cake stay moist much longer (not that it should keep for very long as it looks yum!) Thanks for sharing with your beautiful pictures!

    Reply

  20. As soon as I saw this post I thought, "I wonder if she saw Walter Mitty…" haha I loved the movie too! I saw it twice and both times I just wanted to jump on an airplane and go somewhere random! Love it and the soundtrack. I'm going to have to make this cake!

    Reply

  29. I am obsessed with your photography and cooking/baking!! This one is particularly awesome. I think I might have a go at this tomorrow – but I doubt it will look as great as this 😉
    lots of love
    Catriona
    x

    Reply

  38. This looks amazing, I can't wait to try it! I've tried two of your other recipes before, and they were amazing. Your beautiful photos are like the icing on a cake – as if I needed more reasons to read on 🙂 Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  42. I've just discovered your site, and I want to say that your writing and photos are like a breath of fresh air! I'm also a big chicken when it comes to flying or skydiving or scary movies – I'm a total wimp. But I would fearlessly brave this exquisite cake. The flavors sound so bright and cheery, and it's beautiful, too. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  44. Beautiful! Just wondering if you have ever baked it using flour? My husband is allergic to nuts, and I am curious to know how much the wheat flour will change the flavor.

    Reply

  46. How strange, I had the same experience watching that movie – immediately wanted to bake this cake, and fell in love with the soundtrack as well! I too am terrible with motion sickness (can't watch those movies where they shake the camera all about) and have no interest in bungee jumping. I knit. I know, pretty electrifying.

    Reply

  47. We watched Walter Mitty last night and went in search of a clementine cake recipe. I just found your site and WOW its amazing, I cant wait to try this and some of your other recipes too. Thanks for sharing your creativity, truly an inspiration. (Elisa from Puyallup WA. near Seattle/Tacoma)

    Reply

  48. Question. Once the water with the clementines is brought to a boil, do I lower the heat to let them simmer for two hours or leave the water boiling?

    Reply

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