The clementine cake is a fall dessert that will surprise you with its softness and aroma. When fall arrives, apple pies, cookies, pumpkin desserts, and orange desserts are baked almost every day… but when clementines arrive, making some desserts with this fragrant fruit is almost a must!
This recipe is very simple to prepare. You can make the clementine cake for a snack or breakfast, but also as a dessert at the end of a meal, accompanied by a delicious custard or mascarpone cream. Its texture is soft and moist and is also suitable for being filled for more elaborate cakes.
The main feature of this cake is its incredible aroma! The blended clementines in the batter give this dessert an extraordinary fragrance, but it is the syrup used to glaze the cake that makes it soft, moist, and much more fragrant than many citrus desserts.
To prepare it, you will need a food processor and electric beaters, but you can also make this clementine cake with the Thermomix. At the end of the recipe, you will find the procedure.
Now let’s prepare the clementine cake together, but first, I’ll leave you a few links that might interest you.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
- Energy 433.27 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 71.49 (g) of which sugars 44.37 (g)
- Proteins 7.58 (g)
- Fat 15.00 (g) of which saturated 9.12 (g)of which unsaturated 5.61 (g)
- Fibers 1.46 (g)
- Sodium 101.76 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 155 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for preparing the clementine cake
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 4.6 oz fresh clementines (weighed whole with peel)
- 6 tbsp butter (or margarine)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup fresh clementines (juice)
- 1/3 cup sugar
Tools for preparing the clementine cake
- Cake mold of 8 inches
- Electric whisks
- Food processor
- Bowl
- Citrus juicer
- Small pot
Steps for preparing the clementine cake
Let’s see all the steps together to prepare this delicious and fragrant clementine cake.
Let’s start with the preparation of the cake batter. Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge about half an hour beforehand. This way, the butter will soften and the eggs will return to room temperature.
Wash the clementines well and cut them into roughly equal pieces.
Put them in a food processor or blender with 2 tablespoons of sugar taken from the total.
Blend until a puree is obtained. Set aside.
In a bowl, put the softened butter with the sugar.
Work with electric beaters until the ingredients are combined.
Add a pinch of salt and one egg at a time. Work with the beaters and only when the egg is absorbed by the batter, add the next egg and then the other.
You will get a thick and smooth mixture.
With the beaters running, add half of the clementine puree.
Blend to incorporate it into the batter.
Then add half of the flour, blend
and then add the rest of the clementine puree and the rest of the flour.
When all the ingredients are well distributed in the batter, add the sifted baking powder.
Line the bottom of a 8-inch diameter cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper and butter the edges.
Pour the batter and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in a preheated static oven at 347°F for 30 minutes. After this time, cover the surface with a sheet of aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes at 338°F. Do the toothpick test: if it comes out dry, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely.
In the meantime, prepare the clementine syrup.
Juice 3-4 clementines (depending on size) with a citrus juicer.
You need to extract about 1/2 cup of juice.
Put it in a small pot with 1/3 cup of sugar, stir with a spoon, and place over the heat. Boil for 5 minutes so that the syrup thickens. Let cool.
Take the now cold cake, place it on a serving plate, and with a spoon start soaking the surface of the cake with the glaze.
Distribute it well and put all the syrup you have available.
Let it rest for half an hour so that the syrup is well absorbed.
Now let’s see the procedure for preparing the clementine cake with the Thermomix.
In the bowl, put the clementines cut into pieces and 2 tablespoons of sugar taken from the total: blend 30 sec. speed 8. Remove the puree from the bowl and set aside.
Without washing the bowl, put the softened butter and sugar: 1 min. speed 4.
With the blades moving at speed 4, insert one egg at a time through the bowl opening. Wait for the first egg to be incorporated into the batter before adding the next one.
With the blades moving, add a spoonful of clementine puree and a bit of flour. Continue until the ingredients are used up.
Finally, add the sifted baking powder: 20 sec. speed 4.
Put the batter in a 8-inch diameter cake pan greased and floured (or lined with parchment paper).
Bake in a preheated static oven at 347°F for 30 minutes. After this time, cover the cake with a sheet of aluminum foil, lower the temperature to 338°F, and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes. Do the toothpick test before removing the cake from the oven.
While the clementine cake Thermomix cools, prepare the syrup you will use to glaze the cake.
Wash the bowl well. With a citrus juicer, juice 3-4 clementines until you obtain 100 g of juice. Pour it into the bowl with 70 g of sugar. Cook 5-6 minutes 212°F speed 2. Let the glaze warm.
Place the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle the surface of the cake with all the glaze you have available. Let it rest for half an hour so that the syrup is absorbed by the cake.
Storage, tips, and variants
– The clementine cake can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days covered by a cake dome or closed in a container.
– The syrup can be omitted if desired: the cake will be equally good. However, the mandarin syrup adds moisture and a delicious fragrance to the cake, so I recommend putting it.
– If desired, you can add chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the batter. The ideal quantity would be 70-80 g.
– It is recommended to use organic clementines with a thin peel. If you don’t have them or have available double-peeled clementines, grate the peel, then remove it and blend only the fruit.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Can I substitute butter with oil or margarine?
Yes, you can replace the butter with about 70 ml of vegetable oil or 90 g of margarine.
Can I use other flavors to scent the cake?
Of course! For a more citrusy flavor, you can also add the grated zest of one lemon. Alternatively, vanilla or cinnamon also pair beautifully.
Can I make the clementine cake with whole wheat flour?
Yes, you can replace half the amount of flour with whole wheat flour. Since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid, it may be necessary to add a few more tablespoons of liquid.
Can the clementine cake be frozen?
Yes. Slice it and freeze each slice wrapped in some plastic wrap.
