Clementine Cake
Posted by: Tuddles Fri, 10 Sep 2004, at 12:43 p.m.


Ingredients

4 to 5 unpeeled clementines (about 1 pound total weight)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Put the unpeeled clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours.

2. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the seeds.

3. Then chop everything finely — skins, pits, fruit — in the food processor (or by hand, of course). Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and line an 8-inch spring form pan.

4. Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped clementines. I don't like using the processor for this, and frankly, you can't balk at a little light stirring.

5. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for an hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover the cake with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning.

6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the pan. When the cake's cold, you can take it out of the pan. I think this is better a day after it's made, but I don't complain about eating it any time.

* Variation: I've also made this with an equal weight of oranges, and with lemons, in which case I increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups and slightly anglicize it, too, by adding a glaze made of confectioners' sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.