Clementine Drizzle
Okay, the *SMELL* from baking this clementine drizzle will give you all the Christmassy feels. But don’t let that stop you from eating this wonderfully fragrant cake-y goodness all year round. It deserves to be enjoyed throughout every season.
Also, don’t you think that Christmas is that weird time of the year when you kinda have more spare time yet you’re also super busy? And probs like me, you’ve lined up a load of recipes books and saved a bunch of recipes on Pinterest that you really wanna make. Well, this is your sign to start with this one. Make the festive drizzle! You will make the time for it and it will be worth it.
If that’s sorted dessert for ya, why not check out my ‘7 ways to improve your roast‘ blog post that will you have upping your Christmas dinner.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 225g butter (room temp)
- 225g caster sugar
- Juice and zest of a clementine
- 150g gluten free plain flour
- 2 1/2oz ground almonds
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
For the Syrup
- Juice of 1 large orange or clementine
- 3 tbsp sugar
For the Icing
- Juice of 2 clementines
- 100g icing sugar
- Candied clementines (recipe included)
- 2 sliced clementines
- 200ml water
- 180g caster sugar
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the zest and juice of the clementine and incorporate.
- Add in the eggs one by one, making sure each egg is fully combined before you add the next one.
- Sift your flour, almonds and xanthan gum together.
- Mix the flour into the eggy-creamed mixture in thirds using a spoon/spatula thing.
- Grease up and line your cake tin.
- Pour your mix into the cake tin and spread evenly.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden and test with a cocktail stick (it's ready when it comes out clean).
- In this time you can do the candied slices: Put a pan of boiling water on and blanch the slices for a minute, drain and get into iced water.
- Add the sugar and water to the pan and bring to the boil.
- Add in you slices and turn it down to a simmer. Turn occasionally and leave to cook for 30 mins.
- When the times up lay each slice onto a piece of parchment and leave to cool.
- Once the cake is cooked, leave to cool on a rack. Poke some little holes into it so that the glaze can seep though.
- The glaze: add the juice and sugar to a pan and bring to the boil, let it thicken slightly then pour over the cake whilst both are still warm.
- Leave the cake to cook completely (the worst bit of making a cake).
- To make the icing: mix the ingredients and drizzle over, I like my icing thin, but if you want more just double the quantities.
- Once the icing is set a little, add on your shiny, sweet clementine slices and decorate how ever you feel. Then enjoy all those festive aromas!