Wedding Cake for Bushra and Daemian - Part 5 : Gluten Free Clementine Cake

Layer 4: 6" Gluten Free Clementine Cake

This is a recipe that Nigella does, which I love.  You hear it's gluten free (it's actually also dairy free!) and you instantly think therefore that the cake is going to be a bit naff... well, you are wrong!  This cake comes out delightfully moist and full of flavour.

Ingredients:

• 375g Clementines (I have also used Tangerines, Satsumas etc. in the past with no problems - usually about 4 or 5 fruit but obviously very dependent on size so weigh them if you can)
• 6 medium eggs
• 225g caster sugar
• 250g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder (if you need the cake to be gluten free, check your baking powder is gluten free - Dove's Farm do a gluten free version which is what I used in this instance)

Method:

1. Wash the clementines and pop them in a saucepan.  Cover with cold water and boil for 2 hours.  It helps to have a pan lid to stop all the water boiling away.  I set myself a timer every 30 minutes to keep checking the water level so they don't burn ( - I have done this far too many times!)
2. After the two hours is up, strain and leave to cool for a bit.  When cool enough to handle, slice the oranges open and remove any pips you find.  Then blitz everything bar the pips (yes, including the skin!) in a hand blender / food processor / by hand - whatever you have available to you.  At this point you can refrigerate the orange pulp until you are ready to make the cake.  I often boil the oranges one evening after work, then make the cake the next.
3. Whisk up the eggs and add the sugar and baking powder.  Then tip in the ground almonds, and finally the orange pulp. (Again, you can do this by hand, using a hand mixer, or a food processor) 
   
4. Grease and line your cake tin (either a normal 8" round, or a deep 6" square if you want a deeper cake) with baking parchment , and pour in the mixture.
5. Bake at 190 degrees, or 170 degrees for fan assisted.  Bake for about an hour, although you may have to cover the cake with foil if it gets a bit too brown.  A 6" deeper cake will take a bit longer than this so be patient.  When a skewer comes out clean the cake is done.
6. Leave to cool in the tin, and then take it out when completely cold.

So, that's it - we've made our cakes - now to decorate them.  Stay tuned, that's coming up next.