Clementine cake recipe
This is incredibly easy to make; even if you’re stressed out, it won’t topple you over into nervous collapse. It’s such an accommodating kind of cake: it keeps well, indeed it gets better after a few days, and it is perfect either as a pudding, with some creme fraiche, or as cake.
Servings Prep Time
8-10people 30minutes
Cook Time
1 hr30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
8-10people 30minutes
Cook Time
1 hr30 minutes
Ingredients
For the glazed oranges
For the satsuma orange cake
Instructions
Make the glazed oranges
  1. Finely grate the zest of one of the citrus fruits and reserve the zest for the cake batter. Cut the citrus fruit in half, juice it, and strain the juice; you should have 1/3 cup juice. (There’s a slight chance you may need a second citrus to yield sufficient juice.)
  2. Slice the remaining citrus fruits into very thin rounds—not paper thin, mind you, but no more than 1/4 inch thick. Remove and discard any seeds. [Editor’s Note: If using thicker-skinned citrus such as tangerines, blood oranges, or navel oranges, slice the citrus 1/4 inch thick, place the slices on a plate, and microwave on high for 2 minutes for tangerines or blood oranges, 3 minutes for navel oranges. This helps softens the thick peel without turning the citrus segments soggy.]
  3. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and orange slices in a medium nonreactive saucepan over low heat and bring to a slow simmer. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until the peels are tender and the centers of the orange slices are starting to become tender and translucent but are not falling apart. If the peels aren’t yet tender enough to cut with a fork, keep simmering until they are. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the orange slices to a plate. Continue to simmer the syrup until it has reduced to 1/2 cup, anywhere from 5 minutes to 15 minutes, depending on how long you simmered the orange slices and the size of your pan.
Make the satsuma orange cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9- or 10-inch springform cake pan.
  2. Toss the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until fluffy. With the mixer still running, add an egg and mix until it’s completely and indisputably incorporated before adding the second egg. When the second egg is similarly incorporated, sprinkle the grated orange zest reserved from the glaze recipe over the batter and mix until combined.
  3. In a bowl, sift together the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gently mix the flour mixture into the batter, a little at a time, and mix just until everything is incorporated and no white streaks of flour remain. Pour the batter into the buttered cake pan and smooth the surface. Arrange the glazed oranges on the batter in a single layer, allowing any excess glaze to drip from the oranges back into the pan before draping them on the cake. Reserve the remaining glaze in the pan. (You may also end up with some extra citrus slices, which is intentional, as we want you to have plenty despite the fact that some of the slices may fall apart during simmering. We like to nibble the glazed citrus as is or spoon it over yogurt.)
  4. Bake the cake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes more, for a total of 50 to 55 minutes, until the cake is an even golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack until warm, not hot. Then, using a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Brush the remaining glaze over the top using a pastry brush. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before removing it from the pan or simply slice and serve the cake straight from the pan.