The Clementine Bread is inspired by the classic orange bread, but with an even more delicate, sweet, and enveloping fragrance.
The uniqueness of this super soft cake?
Whole clementines are used, blended with the skin (naturally organic), to create an incredibly soft, moist, and fragrant cake.
The clementine cake is perfect for breakfast, ideal for snack, elegant to serve as a dessert with a light citrus glaze.
It stays soft for days and is made with simple ingredients that everyone has in the pantry. Eggs, sugar, oil, flour, yeast, and of course the clementines, the undeniable stars of this cake that you absolutely must try!
I recommend also making the famous Orange Bread, a truly amazing Sicilian dessert, from which I found inspiration for the clementine version.
🍊✨In this article you will find:
all the secrets for a perfect result
the variations (including gluten-free)
the wine pairing
the storage tips.
If you love orange desserts like me, don’t miss my wonderful Homemade Sicilian Orange Marmalade 🍊
Here are some other delicious ideas to try:
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: about 10-12 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 4 eggs (medium)
- 160 g sugar (do not reduce, the cake would be too bitter!)
- fresh clementines (total weight with peel 15.9 oz, ORGANIC)
- 250 g all-purpose flour
- 60 g type 1 flour (if preferred, you can use only all-purpose flour for a total of 11 oz)
- 150 g vegetable oil (olive oil is not recommended)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 packet baking powder
- A few teaspoons orange juice
- powdered sugar (a few teaspoons)
Tools
- Bowl
- Chopper
- Sieve
- Grater
- Spatula
- Cake Pan
NOTE:
Compared to the original Orange Bread recipe which inspired me, I added 40 g of erythritol to make this cake a little sweeter to please my family who doesn’t love the typical citrus aftertaste.
I chose erythritol not to add more calories! If you don’t like it or aren’t used to using it, you can replace it with 40 g of granulated sugar.
Moreover, I replaced a percentage of all-purpose flour with Type 1 flour, but it’s not essential.
Steps
Wash the clementines well under water and, if necessary, use a kitchen brush to remove any impurities from the skin.
Since we will be using the peels as well, make sure to choose only organic clementines.
Once perfectly washed, dry them, cut them into large pieces, and then place them in a chopper.
Start the mixer and wait a few moments until you have a nice puree. Set it aside.
Now separate the yolks from the whites, take an electric mixer and start whipping the whites. Make sure to take the eggs out of the fridge at least an hour before.
As soon as they start to swell, add the sugar little by little, continuing to whip.
With the beaters running, add one yolk at a time, and finally, incorporate the vegetable oil drizzling it in. You’ll get a smooth and frothy mixture.
I also added a bit of orange zest, but it’s completely optional.
Pour the clementine puree into the whipped egg mixture and combine with a spatula, stirring gently to avoid deflating everything.
Finally, incorporate the two flours (if you prefer, you can use only all-purpose flour) and the baking powder, using a sieve to prevent lumps. Also, add a pinch of salt.
Combine the dry ingredients without using the electric mixer. Just use a spatula and, above all, do it gently, moving from bottom to top.
At this point, pour the entire mixture into a 9-9.5 inch cake pan buttered and floured or simply lined with parchment paper and level the surface with a spatula.
Bake the cake with blended clementines in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 60 minutes, or in convection mode at 320°F for 50 minutes.
After the time is up, do the toothpick test. The cooking time may vary depending on the oven and the type of mold used.
If the toothpick is dry, you can take the cake out and let it cool completely before removing it from the mold. If it’s moist, leave it for another 5-10 minutes.
Finally, once cooled, it will be ready to enjoy! You can decorate the Clementine Bread as you prefer.
With powdered sugar, it’s not recommended because this cake is so moist it gets absorbed immediately!
The best way to decorate this delicious cake is with a glaze made of powdered sugar and a few drops of lemon or orange juice.
I quickly mixed some orange juice with a few teaspoons of powdered sugar until I got a light glaze, not thick.
If you prefer a more covering glaze, add more powdered sugar until you reach your preferred thickness.
Then pour all the glaze over the cake, decorate with some orange zest and a few slices of clementine.
Finally, the clementine cake is ready to make you fall in love! If you love citrus desserts, you’ll be surprised by the fragrance and softness.
It’s simple, genuine, and feels like home. Let me know in the comments if you’ll try it and for any questions, feel free to write to me; I’ll be happy to help you.
To make this wonderful clementine cake, I was inspired by Sonia Peronaci’s Orange Bread, which you can read in its original version here.
For this dessert, I chose organic NOVA Clementines from Agrumi Faro, a company located in the heart of Sicily.
Feel free to check out their website to discover how many wonderful products you could bring to your tables.
If you like, here’s a DISCOUNT CODE: GABRIELLA03 that you can use anytime. For any information, feel free to ask in the comments, I’ll be happy to answer 🧡🍊#noadv #productsent
Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved
🍊 Difference between clementines and mandarins
Many wonder: are clementines and mandarins the same thing? The answer is no, although they are very similar.
🍊 Clementines
They are a hybrid between mandarin and orange. Generally seedless, they have a sweeter and more delicate taste. Thin peel easy to remove.
More juicy pulp.
🍊 Mandarins
They are the original fruit. They may contain seeds and have a more intense and slightly more acidic aroma.
More fragrant peel and often thinner.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I make Clementine Bread with mandarins?
Yes, you can, but there are some differences in the final result.
With clementines, the cake is more sweet and delicate. If you use mandarins, the fragrance will be more intense and slightly more citrusy.
👉 Tip:
If using mandarins, choose organic ripe fruits.
If the mandarins are very aromatic, you can slightly reduce the amount of blended peel to avoid a too bitter aftertaste and of course, add more segments until you reach the indicated weight.How long does the clementine cake last?
It stays soft and fragrant for several days. Since it is very moist, it’s better to store it in the fridge for proper preservation. We can place it in a dedicated container or cover it with plastic wrap or a food bag.
Alternatively, we can store it in the freezer to avoid unnecessary waste. It’s better to cut it into slices, place them in an airtight container separating each with pieces of parchment paper so they don’t stick. Once frozen, it can stay in the freezer for a couple of months .Can I use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar?
Yes, you can use brown sugar which will give your cake an even more rustic and intense note. The amount remains the same.
Can I bake the cake in an air fryer?
I do not recommend it. The air fryer or oven could dry out the cake too much, which by nature is very moist and soft. A conventional oven is preferable, at least that’s how I baked it and I can say it was perfect.
Why does the cake have a slightly bitter aftertaste?
It’s the typical taste of this cake made with whole clementines. Having used even the peel, without removing the white part, the final result will be a cake with a strong flavor that can possibly be “sweetened” by increasing the sugar by about 40 grams.
Or we can treat the clementines by boiling them whole for a few minutes before blending them.
This way the peel will lose a bit of its characteristic aftertaste.Can I use butter instead of oil?
I strongly advise against modifying the recipe as described because I cannot ensure optimal results.
The only modification that can, possibly, be made is to increase, and absolutely not decrease, the amount of sugar if you prefer sweeter desserts.
As already mentioned, this cake has an intense citrus flavor, so we can replace erythritol with sugar for additional sweetness.
I do not recommend other changes as they are not personally tested.
