Clementine Cake with Whole Clementines

clementinecake This moist tender Clementine Cake is made with the whole fruit and is absolutely bursting with delicious orange flavour.

2½ cups Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour, unbleached (325 g)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
5-6 whole clementine oranges (320 g)
½ cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (120 g)
2 cups granulated sugar (400 g)
16 Tbsp. butter, room temperature (228 g)
4 large eggs, room temperature (200 g)

Orange Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted (230 g)
2 Tbsp. orange juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Place the flour, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Crack the eggs into a small bowl.

Place the Clementine mandarins in the food processor and with the metal blade, process the oranges until they are broken down in a pulp and the peel is in small pieces. If there are any large pieces of peel, scrape down the sides of the food process and continue to process the oranges until they are completely broken down.

Scrape the clementine purée into a 2 cup measuring. You should have 1½ cups of purée. If you have less you may need to process another clementine. If you have more than 1½ cups remove some of the purée. Add the sour cream to the purée and whisk together. You should have a total of 2 cups.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together for 4 minutes. The mixture should be lighter in colour and look creamy. Add the eggs one at a time beating on medium speed after each addition until the egg is fully incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl after adding and beating in the second egg. After all the eggs are added scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl once again.

Add ⅓ of the flour and mix on low-speed (speed 2 on KitchenAid 7 qt Mixer) until incorporated. There may be some flour on the sides of the bowl - that’s okay. Add half of the clementine-sour cream mixer and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add ½ of the remaining flour, mix on low-speed, add the remaining clementine-sour cream mixture and end with the addition of the remaining flour. After mixing in the remaining flour, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for 20 seconds to fully incorporate all the ingredients.

Spray the Bundt pan with Baker’s Joy baking spray making sure to cover the entire surface. Add the batter to the pan in large spoonfuls. When about half the batter is added tap the pan against a cloth covered counter 3 times to settle the batter into the pan. Add the remaining batter and tap the pan again to settle the batter into the crevices, especially if you’re using a Bundt pan with an intricate pattern. If using the Nordic Ware Anniversary Bundt Pan there is no need to tap the pan.

Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes until the cake temperature is 202°F in the center and the top of the cake is slightly firm and bounces back when you press it with a finger tip.

Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Let it cool for 15 minutes. Cover the cooling rack with a piece of parchment paper and then invert the cake onto the parchment covered cooling rack.

Let the cake cool completely, 1½-2 hours, before adding the glaze.

Orange Glaze:
Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add two Tbsp. of orange juice and stir into the powdered sugar, then add the sour cream stirring after the addition of each Tbsp. This glaze is thick, so if you want a thinner glaze, add orange juice 1 tsp. at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.

Finishing the Cake:
Spoon the glaze over cake once it has completely cooled.

Storing the Cake:
Before adding the glaze, the cake can sit at room temperature for two days in a covered container. Once the glaze has been added, refrigerate the cake the same day since the glaze has sour cream in it.

Store the cake in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 7 days.

Makes 16 servings.

Cook's Notes:

To ensure the best results weigh the flour on a kitchen scale.
The butter, eggs and sour cream should all be at room temperature, which is 65-68°F.
The final colour of the cake may vary depending on the amount of sugar in the clementines and your baking pan. I tested this recipe 3 times and the colours ranged from a golden brown to a brown colour. So if your cake comes out darker than what is appears in this recipe that's okay.