Clementine Torte Tested Recipe

Clementine Torte Recipe

Around the turn of the 20th century a French Priest, named Pere Clement, living in Algeria, crossed a bitter orange (Seville) with a Mandarin. The result was a sweet yet tangy, slightly flattened, easy to peel orange which became known as the Clementine. Clementines are often called the 'Christmas' orange, as its harvest time corresponds with the holiday season. They are most often eaten raw but I always try to put a few aside to make this Middle Eastern Clementine Torte which uses whole cooked Clementines, peel and all.

This Clementine Torte recipe is adapted from Stephanie Alexander's excellent 'The Cook's Companion' where she tells us that in Australia it is hard to find a cafe that doesn't serve this delicious cake. It is dense and moist, flavored with ground almonds, with a slightly tart flavor that comes from the orange peel. It does not contain butter or oil, only oranges, eggs, sugar, and ground almonds. Easily made in a food processor, it stores very well, in fact, it is better to bake this cake several days in advance of serving so its flavors have time to blend and soften.

As I mentioned above, this torte contains ground almonds. You can either buy almond meal/flour or else you can make your own by placing whole or sliced almonds in your food processor and processing them until finely ground. Almond meal/flour can be found at some grocery stores, specialty food stores/markets, or else at health food stores. You can also order it on line.

Clementine Torte: Place the Clementines in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer the Clementines for about two hours. Drain and let the oranges cool completely.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter and line a 9 inch (23 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Once the Clementines are completely cooled, slice in half, and remove any seeds. Place the Clementine halves (skins and all) in your food processor, along with the eggs, and process until thoroughly blended. Add the vanilla extract and process until incorporated. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, baking powder, salt and ground almonds. Add the orange mixture to the almond mixture and whisk or stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (you may want to cover the cake with aluminum foil about halfway through baking to prevent over browning). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once it has completely cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan.

This cake is best after it has been allowed to sit for a few days. Serve with a dollop of softly whipped cream.

Makes one - 9 inch torte.

Clementine Torte:

1 pound (454 grams) Clementines (4 to 6 depending on size)

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 3/4 cups (250 grams) almond meal or ground almonds