Clementine cake is a cake prepared with clementine fruit as a primary ingredient and other typical cake ingredients. Additional ingredients may be used, and some preparation variations exist. It may be prepared using whole or peeled clementines that have been manually-seeded, or seedless fruit may be used. It may provide significant amounts of Vitamin D. It may be topped with a sweet glaze or sauce, powdered sugar, honey and clementines or candied clementines. Its origin may be roughly based upon an orange cake developed by the Sephardi Jews. In popular culture, the cake played a minor part in the plot of the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Preparation and variations
Clementine cake is prepared with the primary ingredients of clementine fruit, ground almonds or almond meal, flour, sugar, butter and eggs. Additional ingredients may be used, such as orange juice, orange muscat, milk, white dessert wine, or Rieslingwine, orange oil or tangerine oil (or both),almond extract and vanilla extract.Some variations exist, such as being prepared without the use of flour. It may also be prepared as an upside-down cake.
The cake may be prepared with clementines and/or clementine zest mixed in the batter, with them atop the cake, such as in slices, and in both ways The seeds and membrane of the clementine may be removed as part of the preparation process,or seedless clementines may be used. Whole, sliced clementines including the peel, or peeled clementines may be used, and the clementines may be cooked before being used in the cake batter. The fruit may be chopped or blended using a food processor.Candied clementine may be used atop the cake or as a garnish. The almonds used may be toasted or blanched.