day six: 14stone (196lbs) – I feel slimmer just being this virtuous…
… so this cake is a bit of an experiment and whilst i’m not claiming that it’s diet-proof it is most certainly on it’s way to being virtuous whilst still being bloody delicious… it contains no flour and is therefore lower in carbs than a regular cake – i’m using ground almonds instead… it contains no fat at all – it uses the eggs to bind, the eggs which ‘up’ the protein quite considerably… and it contains a nominally reduced amount of sugar as i’m using a sugar substitute called Truvia… I can’t remove all the sugar as sugar does actually add structure to the cake and whilst I may be desperate, i’m not stupid… the original recipe is Nigella’s classic Clementine Cake and is an absolute breeze to make… i’ve included a lemon in mine because that’s what I had in the fruit bowl… any citrus fruit will work and it’s because of this that i’m entering it into January’s brilliant tea time treats bloggers challenge hosted by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked…
… i’m loving this snow… for those of you not in the UK, pretty much the whole of the country is swathed in a thick blanket of whiteness… as usual, the few inches we had overnight this week have completely paralysed us, were we in Canada or Norway we’d suck it up and get on with stuff… but being the proper British types we are, we’ve managed to grind to a complete standstill… I absolutely love this feeling… snow is mostly such a happy event, it reminds me of christmas and fun, silly times and living in the middle of nowhere also means virgin sledging slopes at any time of the day… and we’re due for another huge downpour of snow this evening, so the fire is lit… chicken thighs are in the oven and I have cake… there’s very little more I need in life really… it also creates the most spectacular light for taking photographs. It’s as though the whole of the garden has become a giant light-box… genius!
lemon and orange cake
this cake is rather odd because essentially it’s a sweet almond flan, which doesn’t sound all that appetising… and it is very eggy even though i’ve reduced the eggs from the original recipe… but it’s the wonderful sharpness of the fruit that truly makes this cake… of course the lack of flour and fat make this perfect for celiacs so my niece Emma should love this cake, even if it’s not smothered in chocolate…
… a note about the dark crust – i’ve baked this cake at least 5 times now, both with normal sugar and with reduced sugar and the crust always darkens… it doesn’t taste burnt, it must just be the egg content and I suppose I could double line the cake tin to reduce this but i’ve also noticed that if you look closely at the photographs of this cake on the nigella.com website and in her book, she has cut the crust off… which as far as I can tell means she has the same issue… it’s up to you but I like it how it is…
2 large oranges
1 lemon
5 eggs
100g sugar
1/4 cup Truvia (or a further 125g sugar)
250g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
place the fruit into a large pan full of water, cover and bring to the boil. Boil gently for 2 hours but keep your eye on the pan and top up when needed
drain the pan and then once the fruit is cooled whizz up the fruit, skin and all, with a hand-blender until you have a beautiful pulp
in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the rest of the ingredients, whisking as you go… pour in the pulped fruit and whisk again
pour the batter into a greased and line 20inch spring-form cake tin and bake on 170C for 40mins, then cover the top with a little foil or baking parchment and bake for a further 20mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean
… one last note about this cake is that, as promised by Nigella, it tastes better after 24 hours and then again 24 hours after that… if you can keep it for that long…
eat and of course, enjoy!
looks superb.
I like the contrast between the dark outer and the golden inner.
Good luck on your healthy diet, love the recipes so far.
Mmm yummy! I could go a big slice of that just now. I made something the other day with no added fat and I wanted to call it fat-free but I'd used almonds – they contain a lot of fat, don't they, but a more healthy kind than oils & butter. Still, it looks and sounds fabulous!
After a month in Italy I have several of these almond cakes in the works to experiment with. Love the orange and lemon combination.
Dom, this looks delicious, I'll bet your home smelled amazing too!
Wow, that looks gorgeous and definitely one to add to my recipe folder for when my coeliac friend comes to tea.
Such pretty photographs – I love the dark edge of the cake (and I'm pretty sure that happened when I made this cake too). I love a burst of citrus in the middle of winter too.
I don't mind the dark edges. Dom, this cake is definitely on my diet list, cake-diet proofed!!
What a lovely looking cake 🙂 Something citrus-y is exactly what's needed in this cold snap.
Mmm – I've made this cake before too – it's fantastic! And yes, mine also had rather dark brown edges, but it all adds to its charm I reckon… bet the lemon in it made it taste extra zingy! If you want to give it a chocolate hit, then drizzling a really small amount of melted dark chocolate over the top whilst it is still warm, then letting it set is absolutely delicious – I speak from experience!
Well done on the weight loss. Nice looking cake.
Thank you for entering this scrummy (and effing healthy version too Dom, big cheers all round for virtuous-ness!) citrus cake to TTT! Keep enjoying that snow…
And he's back!!! Fab cake – I love cooking with almonds and hazelnuts too. I think the cakes last longer too (although I am not sure that's the point!)
Talking of lightboxes – I took a photograph thia afternoon on our picnic table that had about 2 inches of snow on it – gave me the perfect white background and made the food appear to glow!
Okay, I'm buying in to your justification that this cake isn't so bad for one on a diet. But just for today. I too am struggling with my food intake and not doing all that well. Well, I'll keep trying.
Lovely cake and almost virtuous. I've made the clementine cake a few times and I totally agree that the darkening around the edge happens. I used to make a whole lemon cake many years ago (can't remember where I got the recipe) and the same thing happened. I also agree that it doesn't detract from the general loveliness of the cake.
Crikey you are doing well with your weight…and I love this recipe..not enough diet minded cakes around…more are always welcome. x
The cake looks gorgeous to me. If the dark edges bother you, use a heavy hand with the powered sugar all around the edge. No one will be the wiser. Have fun in the snow!!!!
mmm anything with lemon and almonds wins in my book.
Oh it sounds cold and miserable to me. I am sure I would cheer up if I at this cake though. Some fine quick footing away from those nasty carbs and sugar
WELL DONE Dom! And, I love the cake too…..stunning photos and gorgeous cake, with lovely ingredients, especially the ground almonds and of course the citrus fruits. THANKS so much for making this for Tea Time Treats, see, you CAN have your cake and eat it! Karen
I love Nigella's Clementine cake and I just know that I will love this cake as well. Must try it next time with lemon. Lovely Dom!
I hope you are enjoying the snow… It's too hot hot hot where I am right now and I miss the snow 🙁
I love this cake and have made it several times myself (mine always darkens too) like the fact you have reduced all the naughty bits making it of course perfect for those of us watching waistlines!
Wow, that cake looks incredibly Dom! No way anyone would know it was low in fat in carbs!!
I must admit.. if I didn't have to go out in the snow (ever), I wouldn't mind it from time to time.. it is quite lovely.
Regardless of the color of the crust, I think this cake looks delicious and would be especially great along with a cup of tea 🙂
You are so right about us being completely hopeless in this weather compared to Canadians and Norwegians lol! I bet the Russians must be laughing at us too!
Beautiful pictures and the cake looks delicious!
Virtuous and delicious…I think I need to make this…just had rather a lot of cream with my dessert :-@ I like the citrus hit in this cake too and the almond makes an interesting addition! 🙂
A fire, chicken thighs, and this cake… I agree, it must be heaven on earth! And I never would have thought that snow would be a photographer's best friend, but you're right, the photos look bathed in crystal clear light.