Clementine Cake

Cake:

Syrup:

Icing:

Cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20 cm x 7 cm deep cake pan or grease a 24 cm Bundt pan. 

2. Cook the clementines until soft. Drain and leave to cool. Once cooled, place in a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.

3. Mix the butter and castor sugar until well combined and pale in colour. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence and the oil and beat until well mixed.

4. Sift in the cake flour and the baking powder. Add the pureed clementines into the creamed mixture and mix until a smooth batter is formed.

5. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. 

Syrup:
1. Boil the ingredients for the syrup together for 5 minutes. Pour over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.

2. Leave to stand for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a serving plate and leave to cool. 

Icing:
1. Beat cream cheese and melted chocolate together until smooth. 

2. Spread onto cake once cooled and top with gooseberries and grated chocolate. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar just before serving (optional).

HINTS & TIPS: 

1. Place the cake pan or Bundt pan on a baking sheet for easy handling.

2. using a Bundt pan, serve the icing in a glass or bowl that fits into the centre of the turned-out Bundt cake, so that each guest can spread his/her own slice of cake.

3. Use a stick blender instead of a food processor to puree the clementines.

4. Apple sauce is the perfect replacement for oil in baking – use apple sauce instead of oil for a low fat version.

5. Make cinnamon sugar by mixing 2.5 ml cinnamon with 60 ml light brown sugar or white sugar.