Clementine and Almond Cake
Every winter I make a clementine cake, it comes from a recipe by Claudia Roden and made famous more recently by the fabulous Nigella Lawson.
• roughly 375 grams clementines or other citrus fruit
• 6 large eggs – lightly beaten
• 225g white sugar (more if you’re using lemons)
• 250g ground almonds
• Optional 1 teaspoon baking powder (I didn’t use any)
Place the clementines into a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil, and cook for one and a half hours. Drain, discarding the cooking water, and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the pips. Dump the clementines skins, pith, fruit and all — and give a quick blitz in a food processor (or in a bowl with a hand-held blitzer.)
Preheat the oven to 170°C fan/375ºF. Butter and line a 20cm / 8 inch tin.
Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and mix it well until fully combined. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for an hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you’ll probably have to cover with foil or greaseproof after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the tin. When the cake’s cold, you can take it out of the tin.
Nigella feels that it tastes better the next day and I tend to agree although trying to resist a slice is nigh on impossible.
For more cake recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen. check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.
Eat and of course, enjoy!
Smokey Bean Shakshuka
This is one of those recipes that I feel compelled to make the minute I have read it!
It looks divine!
Do it!!! 😜
Would you serve with ice cream or just by itself? X
there are no rules Sarah!
I did it! Fabulous cake, looks beautiful, very moist and keeps well.
I microwaved the clementines for 9 minutes as per the note in Nigella’s website and it tasted delicious. Definitely a great pudding cake.
yay, love a pudding cake!
I have just made this! Oh my gosh so scrumptious! Incredibly easy! We have cuties here in the USA! Which I’m presuming are similar if not the same!
I’m going to try this with lemons today 😉
ooooh how was it?
did it work ? ive made this cake so many times as a favorite , but would love to know how it worked with lemons x Happy New Year
My sister in law just made this recipe with lemons and it was possibly the best cake I’ve ever had!!!! SO GOOD!!!!
How many clementines make 385 grams? 4, 6?
well, they’re often different sizes but I would say roughly 5
It’s just got to be made !!!
It really does!
As English is not my first language, when you write ground almonds does that mean almond flour or do I have to ground almonds? If so, how finely do I ground them?
It’s almond flour (known as ‘ground almonds’ in the uk) You could of course grind your own and it’s quite crumbly. Not too fine.
We have ground almonds and almond flour no sure now
Ground almonds
Thanks for asking this – I was going to as well!
We don’t get Clementines here in Aus but I have made this wit oranges, and I’m tempted to do it with lemons after your sugar tip in the ingredients list. Thanks Dom x
Yeah that’s why I love this cake. Any citrus works well. Enjoy it
I want to try this with lemons from my tree….how much more sugar would you suggest?
Well it’s a tough one cos I love really tasty cakes and how sweet are your lemons? I would say at least 2 tablespoons more.
Thanks Dom!! I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Hello do I boil the clementines then remove pips and skin and blitz the fruit?
No. You blitz everything. Pips skin and all. I promise it works.
Looks lovely! Are the pips the seeds?
Yes xx
Ok so disregard the direction to halve and remove pips?
Greetings from Geneva! It is a cold and snowy day and I am making this right now 🙂
How was it? X
In the US we have ground almonds and almond flour. Ground almonds is coarser, flour is finer. Do you think ground almonds would be best? (Worth trying almond flour if I have it on hand already? ☺️)
I used ground almonds and it turned out well but I know some people have used flour and it works well too.
Any chance of a version in US measurements?
Without wanting to sound rude, no. The cups method of baking is so inaccurate I would worry that the cake wouldn’t work. Investing in a set of electric scales would be the best advice I could give. X
I have a Limequat tree and am thinking how good this will be for them. Limey inside and slightly sweet skin!
Oooh I bet that would be amazing
Would ground cashews be a good substitute for ground almonds?
I think so but I’ve not cooked with cashews before so I don’t know.
I’m in the US and my oven doesn’t have a fan option. Would you suggest to change the temp/time?
I think the temp I show in the recipe is correct for non fan ovens
Such perfect timing. It’s a rainy, dark day here on Vancouver Island and I have a bowl of sad looking clementines on my kitchen table. I’m making this today to bring some sunshine and joy into the house ☺️
I hope you enjoy
☀️
Curious whether the floral notes in a Meyer lemon would be picked up? Going to have to give that a try, our tree is full! 🍋
Oh my gosh that would be so yummy
Hi looks absolutely great so deffo going to try this weekend. Do you use biological clementines or – if not available
– how does one clean them the best way?
I honestly don’t worry about that kind of stuff and tbh they’re going to be boiled for hours which will get rid of any nasties.
Thnx! Going to try it today! 🫶
Made Nigella’s recipe a few years ago. Lemon Polenta? It was Devine. Will definitely try this one! Merci Dom x.
oh I love that cake
I made this for the first time a couple of years ago. Was somewhat suspicious but absolutely shocked when it turned out perfectly. Thanks for reminding me about this lovely cake! By providence I bought a large bag of clementines and I have just enough almond flour to make this cake!!
Oh I’m pleased. Enjoy
Do you need to refrigerate this cake?
No you don’t but I do because I like the fudgy texture it gives having been kept in the fridge.
I’m making this today – wish me luck!
enjoy!
Eagerly watching my oven waiting for mine to be ready 😂🤞 so excited not sure i can wait for it to cool down let alone the next day! 😂🫣
how was it?
AMAZING now making it with lemons
How do you stop it from collapsing in the middle?
that’s never been an issue with me but id say lower the temp and don’t open the oven until you’re sure its firm!
Would this need to be adjusted for high altitude?
I genuinely feel like you’re trolling me with this question!
Hello Dom, I’ve been making your upside-down puff pastry goodies — SO GOOD! – and want to try this now. I wonder if I could do the clementines in an Instant Pot for a short period instead of boiling them on the open flame!? What do you think? – I’ve a mind to try it. As long as the citrus is as soft as it would have been with the open cooking, I’d think it would work out much the same …
Aww glad you like the upside down!…I have never used an instant pot before so I really don’t know the answer here but if you’re confident it will work then go for it.
Did you do it? For how long did you cook it in the instant pot?
It is in the oven…RIGHT NOW!!!
I saw this cake in the stories, went to the store for some mandarijntjes (tangerines?) and now the house is smelling amazing and we have cake for desert.
Love it!!!!
(also my gluten-free husband will be extremely excited if this turns out good. The coking of the clementines was a first and came with many raised eyebrows and comments. Trusting the process here…)
Hi Dom
Love your work!
Can I just check, how much water do you add to the pan, and is it a simmer for the 90 minutes?
Looking forward to making this, with some sorry looking clementines and lemon I have kicking around post christmas.
Love anything made with ground almonds – your upside pear tart has been made sooo many times – I have pears in the fridge waiting for the next one!
Soo good!
You need to keep topping up
I made it and it is SOOOO good! Everyone loves it. And it keeps really well.
Can you use brown sugar I try to avoid processed white sugar ?
Yes
I’m also in Pollenca and my v kind neighbour (her daughter Virtudes owns a furniture shop in the town) gave me some oranges and Virtudes told me about you on instagram….so i made the cake with her home grown oranges and it’s absolutely delicious. Thank you sooo much.
Oh that’s wonderful
Can we pressure cook the clementines in an instant pot ?
I had so much fun trying this one, and the boiled clementines made my kitchen smell lovely! I’m still stunned at how well it came out with so few ingredients. Because you were absolutely right that it didn’t need any baking powder, I am also taking your word that it will taste even better tomorrow. Even so, it tastes great today as well and is definitely a new favourite way to use up the clementines in the fridge 😍
so happy
I microwave the cruit – about 10 mins in high. Works just as well
Can we use honey instead of sugar?
no
This is an amazing cake recipe!! Thank you so much for posting it. I love that it uses almond flour (which I used instead of ground almonds). I was hesitant about boiling & blending whole clementines … but wow, my house smells amazing, and I’m pretty sure Walter Mitty’s Mom would be quite pleased!
yay xx
Hi, my wife saw this featured on IG and sent it to me (I’m the baker in the relationship) and we both agreed: must make this! I’d just grabbed about 10 tangerines from a tree where I work – very farm to table, ripe, and firm. Perfect for a double batch! I cooked them, making the cakes in the morning, but I had to ask: you think this could work if you put a bergamot in the mix? What if you poached a bergamot with some clementines and a lemon? I’m gonna try it! I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thx for posting! New fan here.
The bergamot sounds amazing!!!!!!!!
Can I use a Bundt cake pan?
it’s quite a wet cake but if you have confidence in your bundt then yes, go for it!
Instead of powdered sugar try a light drizzle of honey.
yum
Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it but no butter or oil?
Thank you. I know it’s hard to believe but no butter or oil!
I really want to make this! Sounds lovely! Odd question perhaps but how fresh would you say the clementines need to be? I’ve got some that are a bit wrinkly but not rotten – wonder if they’d work okay. Thank you for sharing this!
probably fine to use
I made this with lemons and I ground up cashews vs oranges and almonds. Can I tell you it tastes exactly like Starbucks lemon loaf. AMAZING and each day the flavor is even more. I love this so much I just boiled oranges to make it again. Thank you for a repeat in my kitchen. Chefs kiss !
This would be a breath of sunshine in the cold and snowy Midwest! I would love to make and share with coworkers who are gluten and dairy intolerant. How do I print the recipe?
Made this today with almond flour and some of those tiny “mandarin” oranges that were rather past their prime – no mould but dried out a little. Turned out really well; very moist, smells lovely, and doesn’t seem to need anything else, though my husband thought a cream-cheese icing would work (we’ve nibbled it warm from the pan; can’t wait). Tomorrow, when it is properly cooled, I’ll sprinkle on some icing sugar and take the rest of it with me to visit friends. I think this might be something to make at intervals and keep handy in the fridge for surprise guests. Wonder how it would taste made with grapefruit?
This recipe looked so good I immediately bought springform pans. It’s wonderful, and so beautiful with the powdered sugar added on top (Nigella shows hers plain). Made the recipe as written, but used 4″ springform pans, which made 6 cakes (filled to 3/4 full). Thank you, Dominic!
Mine is in the oven and I’m going to leave it in the tin overnight to cool. I know for a fact what I’ll be having for breakfast tomorrow.