Turn a few ingredients into a simple and delicious cake or dessert.
I included a version of this recipe in my first book, Focus on Flavour. It is a great way of using eggs and at this time of year, when there is an abundance of clementines (or satsumas or tangerines), it makes a great treat, with the added bonus of having no flour or added fat and being relatively low in sugar. So it is excellent for anyone looking for a wheat / gluten and dairy free cake or dessert.
I first heard of this from Claudia Roden and later came across it on Nigella.com.
I have reduced the sugar significantly, it really does not need to be particularly sweet, let the flavour and sweetness of the fruit shine through!
If you cut the cake into 12 slices, it comes to less than 180 calories a piece. We will have it with some lovely thick greek yogurt, or a scoop of chocolate sorbet, as a dessert. A small sliver would go very well with a cup of espresso if you have guests to please….
I plan to freeze half of it.
- 6 clementines (or satsumas or tangerines, use 8 if small - about 440g in total)
- 225g ground almonds
- 50g soft brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder (heaped)
- Put fruit in pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer 2 hours.
- Drain and cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Cut the fruit in half, discarding the seeds and stalks.
- Blitz (skins and all) in a food processor.
- Add the other ingredients and pulse until integrated.
- Pour into a greased, lined, loose-bottomed 20cm cake tin.
- Bake for 1 hour, covering with paper after 40 minutes to prevent browning too much.
- A skewer should come out clean when the cake is cooked.
- Cool in the tin on a wire rack.
- Turn out and sprinkle with icing sugar.
- Serve with dairy free chocolate sorbet or sauce for a luscious dessert, or with a dollop pf thick greek yogurt if dairy is ok.
- Although this requires a long time for the fruit to soften, they don't need to be closely watched and that can be done the evening before if you wish. Actually making the cake takes hardly any time or effort at all!