I had gone through most of it and tabbed all the recipes that sounded interesting to me. One jumped out at me right away. It was a clementine cake. I had never heard of a clementine cake. I immediately stuck a little flag on it and continued reading. Several weeks had gone by and while I was mulling over what to do, I remembered this cake. So when M and I were doing our weekly grocery shopping this past Sunday (yes, we do this together), I picked up a box of clementines. Can I just tell you how absolutely adorable I think these little fruits are? And the box they come in? So cute. When I got home and put all the groceries away, I went and grabbed the cookbook.
I read over the recipe and realized it called for self rising flour. I only had the good old all purpose flour. I converted the recipe to include the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Another ingredient I didn't have was ground almonds. I did have walnuts so I used those. I'm not sure if this made any difference but the cake was good so I am thinking if it did, it wasn't a bad one. The recipe also directed me to peel the clementines with a vegetable peeler and chop up the rind very finely. I chose to zest it instead. Same thing, right? Yes, it worked out lovely. All in all, the cake is very delicious. Although it didn't quite pull me all the way out of my funk as say chocolate would have, it was still a tasty cake.
Adapted from Chocolate and Baking
One note I would like to make is to really watch this cake while it is in the oven. The original recipe called to bake this cake for 55-60 minutes. But after about 35 minutes, my nose was telling me to check the cake. Good thing I did. I don't know what kind of oven they were using, but this cake took no more than 35 minutes and it could have gone a little bit less. Also, the best way to grind the walnuts is in a food processor or put them in a food storage bag and pound them with a rolling pin or heavy pan.
Cake:
zest of two clementines, reserve the whole fruit for juicing later
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp ground walnuts
3 tbsp milk or light cream (I used milk)
Glaze:
6 tbsp clementine juice (about 3 clementines - use the 2 you zested to make the cake)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 350. Thoroughly grease a round cake pan and then line with parchment. You can also then grease the parchment to ensure the cake doesn't stick.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, cream together the clementine zest, butter, and sugar until it is pale and fluffy.
Add about half of the beaten eggs at a time and beat well after both additions. Fold in the flour mixture by using a wooden spoon. Then add the ground walnuts and the milk or light cream. Make sure everything has been incorporated.
Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven. Just make sure that when a knife is inserted into the center, it comes out clean. Cool cake for a few minutes.
Glaze:
Put the clementine juice and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for about five minutes. Prick the cake all over with a toothpick or skewer. Pour the glaze over the entire cake so that it all gets absorbed.
Serve with whipped cream, if desired and on hand.
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