Clementine cake
 Clementine cupcake, cut open | |
| Type | Cake |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Created by | Possibly originated from an orange cake developed by theSephardi Jews |
| Serving temperature | Cold or warmed |
| Main ingredients | Whole unpeeledclementinefruit, almond flour, butter, eggs, sugar |
| Ingredients generally used | baking powder |
| Variations | wheat flour |
| Similar dishes | Fruitcake |
Clementine cakeis aflourless cakeflavored primarily with whole unpeeledclementinesand almonds. It may originate from an orange cake inSephardic cuisine.In popular culture, the cake played a minor part in the plot of the 2013 filmThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Joyce Goldsteincalled it a classic.The Sydney Morning Heraldcalled it famous. In 2021Cooks' Countrysaid it was "having a moment".
Ingredients
[edit]Clementine cake is prepared with clementines, ground almonds oralmond meal,sugar, butter, and eggs.[1][2]Some recipes call for flour, but the cake is typically flourless.[3][2]
Optional ingredients include orange juice, orange muscat, milk, whitedessert wine,orRieslingwine,[4][5]orange oilor tangerine oil (or both),[4]almond extractandvanilla extract.[4]Other variations exist.[2]
Preparation
[edit]The cake is typically prepared by boiling the whole unpeeled clementines, removing any seeds, and pureeing the whole fruit, then combining the pulped fruit with ground almonds or almond flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and baking powder before baking.[1][6][7][8][9][10]The almonds used can be toasted orblanched.[4]
Candiedclementine slices are often used as agarnish.Other finishes include sweet toppings such as a glaze or powdered sugar.[2][11][1]
Clementine cake is dense and moist,[8][9]and its flavor may improve a day or more after preparation,[2][10][12][13]because the ingredients intermingle and coalesce to enhance its flavor as it ages. After preparation, it can be frozen to preserve it.[14]
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Boiling the whole fruit -
Fruit after boiling -
Pureed whole boiled fruit -
Prepared batter in cupcake wrappers -
Finished clementine cupcake
Variations
[edit]It can also be prepared as anupside-down cake.[15][16]Individual cupcakes are a common variation.
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A slice of vanilla clementine cake -
Vanilla clementine cake and cupcakes -
A slice of clementine cake -
Clementine cake
History
[edit]
Clementine cake is probably related to a Sephardic orange cake.[6]Sephardic Jewspopularized citrus cultivation in the Mediterranean region[17]in the 15th century and popularized the use of orange in baked goods. In addition to its Iberian flavors, the cake also has North African and Spanish roots.[18]
Claudia Roden,writing forThe Guardian,said that she'd traced the evolution of the dish, which she describes as a Sephardicpassover dish,"fromAndalucia,through Portugal and Livorno in Italy, toAleppo".[19]TheNew Yorkersaid that Roden's recipe had been adapted by so many other cook book writers that Roden had lost count.[20]
Recognition and importance
[edit]According to theSan Francisco Chronicle,Joyce Goldsteincalled it a "classic Judeo-Spanish cake".[12]In 2020, Jill Dupleix, writing for theSydney Morning Herald,called it "the now famous, never-bettered, flourless Sephardic cake".[3]Nigella Lawsoncalled Roden's recipe "magnificent"[13]and created an adaptation.[2][13]In 2021Cook's Countrysaid the cake was "having a moment".[11]
In popular culture
[edit]Clementine cake played a minor part in the plot of the 2013 filmThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty,and was included in the opening scene of the film and in a couple of additional scenes.[2][7]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^abc"Clementine Cake".San Francisco Chronicle.January 8, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abcdefgLinn, Virginia (February 26, 2014)."The secret cake in 'Walter Mitty'".The Daily Herald.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abDupleix, Jill (2020-03-17)."Orange and almond cake".Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved2024-04-13.
- ^abcdGoldman, M. (2014).The Baker's Four Seasons: Baking by the Season, Harvest, and Occasion.Montreal, Canada: River Heart Press. pp. 270–272.ISBN978-0-9865724-1-8.
- ^Watson, Molly (January 13, 2015)."Recipe: Clementine Cake".Houston Chronicle.Archivedfrom the original on December 9, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abWilloughby, John (March 28, 2014)."Clementine Cake Recipe".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abLindahl, Nancy (January 8, 2014)."Sweet Basil the Bee: Sweet, little Clementines go into an intriguing, flour-less cake".Chico Enterprise-Record.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abPerelman, Deb(13 January 2009)."Clementine Cake".Smitten Kitchen.
- ^abHodgson, Moira (11 October 2023)."Claudia Roden's Orange and Almond Cake Recipe".NYT Cooking.Retrieved2024-04-13.
- ^abO'Sullivan, Lucinda (December 4, 2015)."What to eat when wheat is off the daily menu".Irish Independent.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^abCook's Country: Elegant and Orange.11:30. 11 December 2021.
{{cite AV media}}:CS1 maint: location (link) - ^abGold, Amanda (18 January 2018)."Sephardic Orange & Almond Cake for Passover".San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^abc"Clementine Cake".Nigella.com.Retrieved2024-04-22.
- ^Breyer, Melissa (January 5, 2015)."23 surprising foods you can freeze and how to do it".Mother Nature Network.Archivedfrom the original on December 7, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^"Adorable Clementine Upside Down Cakes".The Huffington Post.March 18, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^McDonnell, Justin (February 18, 2015)."Kung Hei Fat Choy! Alternative ways to celebrate Chinese New Year".Time Out.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2015.RetrievedDecember 4,2015.
- ^Marks, Gil (2010).Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.Wiley.ISBN978-0-544-18631-6.
- ^Colquhoun, Anna."Sephardi Orange and Almond Cake".Culinary Anthropologist.Archivedfrom the original on 2 October 2016.Retrieved28 September2016.
- ^Roden, Claudia(2022-09-26)."Claudia Roden's recipe for orange and almond cake".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Retrieved2024-04-13.
- ^Kramer, Jane(2007-08-27)."Claudia Roden's Spice Routes".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.Retrieved2024-04-13.
