Almond Clementine Cake Squares #FoodieExtravaganza

Super easy to make, the rich batter for these almond clementine cake squares is whipped up in a food processor with long simmered clementines, which you don’t even peel. I’ve been making versions of this cake for years with great success. As long as your guests like orange marmalade and almonds, they are going to be huge fans, I promise.

Early last year a good friend and neighbor was traveling so she asked me to unlock her door for guests that were going to arrive at her home before she returned. She had prepared and frozen a lovely beef stew for them to reheat and popped it in the freezer. My other task was to put the stew in the refrigerator so it could thaw in time for their dinner.

I decided that such a wonderful beef stew also deserved an equally flavorful dessert. It was a winter day, chilly by Dubai standards, but my home was warm and the fragrant aroma of sweet orange hung in the air as my clementines cooked, and again, as the cake rose puffy and golden in the oven. Honestly, there is something therapeutic about baking this cake, perhaps it was channeling my inner Nigella.

Isn’t it wonderful when one can do a good deed and reap benefits as well?

Clementine Almond Cake Squares

This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s very first book, How to Eat, the Pleasures and Principles of Good Food, originally published in 1998. It is naturally gluten-free as long as you take care that your baking powder is gluten-free, of course.

Ingredients
8-10 tiny thin skinned clementines (about 1 lb 4 1/4oz or 575g total weight)
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup or 300g sugar
3 cups or 320g ground almonds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional to serve: powdered sugar

Method
Cover the clementines with cool water in a large pot and bring them to the boil. Lower the fire until the water is at a very low rolling boil and cook for two hours. Check the water level occasionally and add more water to keep them covered, as needed during the cooking.

Drain the pot and set the clementines aside to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, discard the stem stubs, cut the clementines in half around their equators and remove any seeds.

Puree the clementines in a food processor, peels and all, until smooth.

Note: The clementines can also be cooked a day or two ahead of baking. Once the clementines are cool, put them in a airtight container and refrigerate them until you are ready to bake, then follow instructions to remove the seeds, etc. and carry on with the rest of the recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 13x 9 in or 33 x 23cm pan by lining it with baking parchment. Set aside.

Add the almond flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to the food processor and blitz for a minute or so until completely combined.

Add the eggs and blitz again until you have a homogeneous batter.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the preheated oven or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Check the color of the cake as it bakes and cover it with foil if it starts browning too much before it is cooked through.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then slide it out of the pan using the parchment and leave it on the wire rack to cool completely.

This cake needs nothing more but it is pretty with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Cut into squares to serve as dessert or, indeed, with a cup of afternoon tea.

Enjoy!

This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are wishing happy birthday to Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, the creator of afternoon tea. Our host is Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. She wrote, "Let's celebrate with anything afternoon tea-related. It can be your favorite tea, something made with tea, or something that you would eat at a tea party." Check out all the wonderful recipes we are sharing:

• Almond Clementine Cake Squares by Food Lust People Love
• Assorted Tea Sandwiches for Afternoon Tea by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cherry Almond Scones by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gourmet Fruit and Nut Crisps by Palatable Pastime
• Hawaij Coffee Scones by Caroline's Cooking
• Meat Pan Rolls by Sneha's Recipe
• Prickly Pear Lemon Curd by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pumpkin Cranberry Scones by Simply Inspired Meals

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

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