Clementine and redcurrant almond cake

Clementine and redcurrant almond cake
Prepare
less than 30 mins
Cook
30 mins to 1 hour
Serve
Serves 6–8

A moist almond sponge topped with syrup-glossed clementines and jewel-like redcurrants. Fresh, fruity and lighter than a rich Christmas cake, it’s easy to make ahead and perfect for festive sharing.

By Verity Genco

Shopping list

Ingredients

For the cake

For the syrup and topping

To serve

  • extra-thick double cream or mascarpone, to serve (optional)
  • 1 orange, zest only (optional)
  • reserved syrup, for drizzling
Recipe tips
How-to videos

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line a deep 23cm/9in round cake tin, ensuring the base and sides are well lined to prevent sticking.

  2. In a large bowl, mix the orange zest with the caster sugar and golden caster sugar, rubbing together with your fingertips until fragrant. Set aside to use when making the cake batter.

  3. For the syrup, put the orange juice and caster sugar in a large saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat slightly and simmer for 3–5 minutes until lightly syrupy. Stir in the vanilla paste, if using, then remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

  4. Add the clementine segments to the warm syrup and leave for 2–3 minutes. Lift out with tongs and arrange close together in the base of the lined tin, working in circles around the tin and overlapping them slightly as you go – they don’t need to be perfect. Scatter the redcurrants in the gaps between the fruit, then drizzle over a little of the syrup, reserving the rest for glazing.

  5. Returning to the cake batter, whisk the oil, eggs, buttermilk and almond extract (if using) into the orange sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

  6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the ground almonds.

  7. Fold the dry ingredients gently into the wet mixture until just combined.

  8. Pour the cake batter over the arranged fruit and smooth the top. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the final 10–15 minutes.

  9. Leave to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate so that the clementine segments are on the top. Brush with the reserved syrup for a glossy finish.

  10. Decorate with a few extra redcurrants and curls of orange zest, if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature with cream or mascarpone and a drizzle of any leftover syrup.

Recipe tips

Use only seedless fruit — nets of easy-peelers are the safest choice. Satsumas or tangerines work well if clementines aren’t available. You don't need to remove the skin from the individual segments as it's much thinner than on larger citrus fruits (if you want to use orange segments, you will need to remove the skin).

A good gluten-free flour blend and baking powder can be used to easily make this cake gluten-free.

To avoid sogginess, drizzle just a little of the syrup over the fruit before baking and save most for glazing after.

When serving, mascarpone or Greek yoghurt are a nice alternative to cream.

To slice this cake cleanly, use a very sharp knife and wipe it between cuts. This will produce neat slices and keep the syrupy topping intact.

To bake ahead, cool the sponge completely in the tin, then wrap in baking paper and foil. Transport it in the tin, turning out and glazing just before serving.

The cake keeps for 3–4 days in an airtight container. Freezes well whole or in slices, wrapped in baking paper and foil or in an air tight container. Eat within 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.