Walter Mitty's Clementine Cake

this was an inspiration from The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,

a cake that's pretty guilt-free,

with no butter...no flour..but lots of fruits from the orange tree..

& it goes great with a cup of black tea!

Makes one 9-inch cake

Ingredients & Methods

Clementine Cake
- 375g clementines/oranges (approximately 2 medium)
- 6 eggs
- 200g sugar
- 250g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 190 degree C.
2. Line a 9-inch springform cake pan.
3. Poke 4 holes in each clementine/orange with a knife and microwave on high (covered) for 4 minutes, cool.
4. Blend the microwaved clementines/oranges to a puree.
5. Beat the eggs till frothy and add in the sugar, beating till doubled in volume and a pale foamy mixture forms.
6. Beat in the puree, ground almond and baking powder until well-combined.
7. Pour the batter into the tin and bang the tin on the table 2 times for a smoother surface.
8. Bake for 45 minutes, allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Orange Glaze
- 1/2 cup icing sugar + 1/4 cup more
- 3/4 tablespoon melted butter
- 2 tablespoons orange juice

9. Mix everything together until a glaze forms and spread over the cooled cake.

Candied Orange Slices
- 1 1/2 clementine/oranges, sliced thinly
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water

10. Bring the sugar and water to boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.
11. Add in the clementine/orange slices and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
12. Place the slices on a baking sheet to cool and dry. 
13. Once dried, place the slices on the glaze. 

How was it?
Slightly dense and rich in an orange flavour. Great gluten-free dessert with some fibre from the whole oranges. 

Better it up!
Was making this cake in a bit of a rush so there wasn't enough time for the glaze to set and the orange slices to dry completely. Set at least 2 hours for drying of slices (under the sun preferably). Also to sieve the icing sugar for a smoother glaze, may double the glaze for a whiter coating. 

The Verdict

It was an easy peasy bake!

Recipe Adapted from..
Cathy Merender.