This is a cake that is worth at least suspending any resolution you may have made 10 days ago to forgo all things delicious, if only until you’re done eating a slice.
I’m never, ever, EVER over sweets, but after the holidays I am ready for a break from your typical December confections, like gingerbread, marzipan and linzer torte. But alas, it’s still the dead of winter (I know this because my skin has been covered completely in woolens of various forms for about five days running), so it’s not exactly time to bake up a berry crumble…
That’s where clementines come into play. They are seasonal but brighter than the holiday flavors we’ve been overindulging in. And if you buy a box of them to use for this cake, you will have leftovers that will encourage you to bring healthy snacks to work! Which, obviously, cancels the cake out. I don’t know about you, but coming back to the so-called “real world” after some time off, I have struggled to get through a single day at the office this week without an afternoon snack…or nap.
This is not a difficult cake to make. It requires some zesting, but that is really the extent of the heavy lifting (it’s a good workout for your arms!). I’ll admit that I was skeptical that this was not going to be overly sweet as I poured the syrup over the top with reckless abandon, but I decided to go for it and I’m so glad I did. The cake itself hits the perfect note of sweetness, and it’s offset nicely with a dark, dark chocolate (I used a mix of 60% to 70% cacao) icing that has just a touch of honey. I also found that this tastes even better the next day, so it would be a great dessert for entertaining.
I’ll end this by mentioning that the recipe suggests that the chocolate icing is optional. In my opinion, there is always a reason to include chocolate, and I’d encourage you to do the same. Go big or go home, my friends!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Scant 2 cups superfine sugar
- Grated zest and juice of 4 clementines
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 1/2 cups ground almonds
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- Long strips of orange zest to garnish
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
- 5 oz. good quality dark chocolate, broken up
- 2 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 tsp Cognac
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9 or 9 1/2-inch springform pan with butter and line the sides and bottom with parchment paper.
- Place the butter, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and both zests in a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment and beat on low speed to combine everything well. Do not work the mixture too much or incorporate too much air. Add half the ground almonds and continue mixing until combined.
- With the machine running, gradually add the eggs, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a couple of times as you go. Add the remaining ground almonds, the flour and the salt and beat until completely smooth.
- Pour the cake batter into the pan and level it with an offset spatula.
- Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes. Check to see if it is ready by inserting a skewer into the center. It should come out a little bit moist.
- When the cake is almost done, place the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the citrus juices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil (the juices should total about 1/2 cup; remove some juice if needed). When the syrup boils, remove it from the heat.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes through the top with a skewer. Brush it with the boiling syrup, making sure it all soaks in. Leave the cake to cool down completely in the pan before you remove it. You can store it for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- It's best to ice the cake on the day you want to serve it so the icing stays shiny. Place the butter, chocolate and honey in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until everything is melted, then immediately remove from the heat and fold in the Cognac. Pour the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to dribble naturally down the sides. Let the icing set and then garnish the center of the cake with the orange zest strips.
Notes
From Jerusalem
January 11, 2014 at 2:38 am
The photo of the clementines is just awesome. Beautiful art!
January 12, 2014 at 4:56 am
Gosh this looks so yummy! =)