Guest post: Clementine and almond cake
Hi there, it’s Louisa here from Chez Foti and I’m guest blogging a recipe today for Fiona. We recently stumbled upon each other in the wonderful world of cyberspace and interestingly both happen to live down in deepest, darkest South West France. Well, Fiona lives in the bordering region of Aquitaine and I’m in Midi-Pyrenees, but that makes us practically neighbours in these distinctly rural and empty parts. And it’s not often you meet fellow English foodie bloggers down this way, so I’m delighted to meet her!
Over at Chez Foti I blog hearty, generally healthy, wholesome family friendly fodder that’s always seasonal and uses local as possible fresh ingredients. Since I have a two and a four year old to nourish most of my recipes are quick and simple to prepare and obviously very child-friendly. Though there’s the occasional dalliance into grown-ups-only fair and a little naughtiness here and there. Life really is too short to be good all the time!
My recipe for you, on our little cakey blog swop, is a fabulous (chocolateless!) Clementine & Almond Cake. A wheatless, dairy-free delight which, without deliberately intending to be, is actually pretty darned good for you and almost as good as cake can get. Though if you want to naughty things up a little it’s wonderful with a big dollop of crème fraiche or Mascarpone!
Ingredients:
375g of clementines, tangerines or satsumas (they all work!)
5 large free range eggs
175g of cane sugar
250g of ground almonds
a heaped teaspoon of baking powder, sieved
a tablespoon of Amaretto, optional
a little icing sugar for dusting
Special Equipment: a 21cm spring-sided baking tin lined with greaseproof paper
Place the clementines in a saucepan and cover the fruit with cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer away for 2 hours. Top up the water level as it drops. After 2 hours remove from the water and allow to cool for a few minutes before whizzing to a pulp in a processor (or with a stick blender).
Pre-heat your oven to 190ºC.
Now on with this cinch of a cake. Whisk up the eggs in a large bowl, using a balloon whisk. Then whisk in the sugar followed by the ground almonds and baking powder. Finally stir in the clementine pulp.
Pour the cake mixture into your lined cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for around 40 minutes. It should be golden on top, firm to touch and an inserted skewer will come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin on a cooling rack.
Once cool carefully remove from the tin and lightly dust with sieved icing sugar. Serve as is or with a naughty spoon of creme fraiche or mascarpone. And if you can possible wait, this cake is even better the next day…
Thank you Louisa for this recipe — I can vouch for it because I made it and it was pure ambrosia. Visit Louisa’s blog, Chez Foti, for other delicious recipes like this one and some excellent vegetable gardening advice. Fiona, The Healthy Epicurean 🙂
15 Comments
Martyn Oliver
Hello Louise! I like the sound of this, but I’m going to have to ask you – peel on or peel off? I hope you’re going to say leave the peel on, because I enjoy eating the peel almost as much as the insides. (We’ll draw the line at pips, though – so maybe the pulp should go through a coarse sieve?)
The Healthy Epicurean
Hi Martyn! You’ll be pleased to know that the peel stays on! Re the pips though, I’m not sure. I’m sure Louisa will be along to enlighten you.
You mentioned once that you had found a place in the UK to buy spelt bread. Could you possibly give me details? Hope you’re well.
Chez Foti
Peel most definitely stays on, though the pips are entirely a personal matter. Call me lazy but I tend to blitz the entire boiled fruit and throw it into the cake. Feel free to sieve!
The Healthy Epicurean
From a health point of view, laziness (ie leaving the pips in) is definitely a good idea: citrus pips contain polyphenols (a potent antioxidant) and are also used in Chinese medicine to relieve pain… 🙂
Martyn Oliver
Thanks, Louisa and Fiona. The pips get to stay too. Hurrah!
Martyn Oliver
That’s good news! Thanks! And yes, we’re well, thank you, though Weasel the whippet can’t wait for spring. Come to that, neither can I.
About the bread: I’ll email you.
The Healthy Epicurean
I know how Weasel the Whippet feels, although today I can’t complain: it’s 20°C and sunny 🙂
apuginthekitchen
I just love guest posts, I am now following Louisa’s beautiful blog. The cake is beautiful and sounds so delicious. Great recipe!
The Healthy Epicurean
Excellent! You’ll see – she has some really lovely ideas…
Chez Foti
Ah thanks for the follow, and lovely complements! The cake’s most definitely a goodie, and so almost good for you!
Lucie
Loving this cake! Thanks
Chez Foti
Thanks Lucie, it’s one of my favourites 🙂
Simon B
Hi Louisa, thanks for this 🙂 I made it last night and tastes great today, very yummy. Kept the pips in and do not notice them. It is very moist in the middle – I went over the 375g of pulped clementines, more like 425g, and wonder if that is why it’s a bit too moist…
Look forward to more.
The Healthy Epicurean
Hi Simon! I’m glad you liked Louisa’s cake – although maybe next time don’t go quite so hell for leather with the clementines? 😉 F xx
Chez Foti
Glad you liked it Simon, probably a little too moist from the extra fruit, but at least it’ll keep well for longer….if there’s any left. Pips in good!