Clementine flourless cake Washington DC

A cake made with orange peels and without flour? Seems backward.

But celebrity chef Nigella Lawson swears this clementine cake is one of her favorites, dubbing it “damp, dense, aromatic and the easiest cake I know.”

First, what is a clementine? It’s the smallest member of the mandarin orange family -- seedless, sweet, and easy to peel. Because they come into season from October to January, clementines are sometimes called the Christmas orange. They are named for Father Clement Rodier, a French missionary who reportedly discovered the tiny hybrid in an orphanage garden in Algeria in 1902.

For Nigella’s flourless cake, start by boiling whole clementines, then chopping them, rind and all, in a food processor. Then mix eggs, sugar, ground almonds and baking powder, and stir in the chopped clementines. Bake in a springform pan. It’s best if made a day ahead.

FLOURLESS CLEMENTINE CAKE

4 to 5 clementines (about 1 pound total weight)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Put the clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and simmer for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove seeds, if any. Put in food processor and finely chop the skins, pith and fruit.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs with whisk or fork. Add sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Stir well, adding the chopped clementines.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover the cake with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top from burning.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can remove the sides of the pan.