Clementine season appears to be coming to an end. I couldn’t find a single 5-pound box at the grocery store where at least 1/3 of the clementines weren’t already looking brown, spotted and dry. The 2-pound bags were a little better, so I snatched up a bag to make the most of what little time we have left.
And ever since making my clementine brownies, I’ve been wanting to bake with them again. But instead of fudgey brownies, I decided to go with something a little lighter, where the clementine flavor could really shine through.
When you make this cake, you have to let it cool completely. All the way. It will be tough. You’ll want to cut into the rich goodness immediately. You’ll want to taste the citrus on your tongue, feel a bite of the cake melt in your mouth. But you must be patient. Just trust me on this one. You don’t want a crumbly cake, now do you?
With this dessert, you only need a small piece. It is that rich. And that delicious. A little goes a long way.
Clementine Pound Cake
Adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened
2 T olive oil
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1 tsp ground cardamom
Zest of 2 clementines (about 1 T)
Juice of 2 clementine (about 4-5 T)
1/4 c milk
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x5x3″ loaf pan.
Beat the butter, oil and sugars together until smooth.
Mix in the eggs until completely blended. Stir in 1 cup of the flour as well as the salt, vanilla, cardamom, zest and clementine juice. Add the milk and the rest of the flour. Beat until the batter is smooth and consistent.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the edges are browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Run a knife or spatula around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan, and flip onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks DELICIOUS, Julie!
Courtney @ Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life recently posted..Protein Pumpkin Breakfast Cake
Oh my…. This might be the bit of sunshine I need on any icy day like today
Hopefully I can find some clems!
Amy recently posted..Stand Out
Mmm! I’ve had the same problem with clementines in the past week or so. Lots of dry clementines in my 5lb. box.
Cake looks scrumptious – drizzle a bit of melted chocolate on top, perhaps?
Liz recently posted..Heavenly Hash Ice Cream Cookies
Wow wow wow looks incredible!
Oooh yay, a fruit dessert with fruit we can actually find this time of year! This sounds delicious!
The Blue-Eyed Bakers recently posted..Shortbread Brownies & A Giveaway
Yum! I’ve never baked with clementines, but I must try this out!
I love citrus and pound cake, this looks perfect!
Jessica
Jessica recently posted..Snowyak anyone
As much as I love baking with lemons and limes I’ve never baked with oranges or clementines. So original!
That looks delicious! I was wondering to myself how well clementines would work in baked goods, since lemon and orange works so well.
Annie@stronghealthyfit recently posted..Sweet Talk- Dates!
I love the sound of this. Cardamom and citrus is such a good combo. Maybe substituting blood oranges, which are just coming into season would work well?
siri recently posted..Winter Funk Cookies
I think so. I SO want to find some blood oranges here, but haven’t had any luck yet!
Oh yum! I was at the store last night and I couldn’t find ANY clementines. So sad! At least they still had some decent oranges. I am craving citrus and fruit in general!
I love pound cake! Never thought to make a clementine version though! I recently bought a box of them, got them home and realized the whole bottom layer was bad. I was inconsolable.
I’ve actually never had a clementine, let alone bake with one! This looks so scrumptious!
Yay! I have been searching for a recipe that I can make with old clementines- thank you!
i went to the grocery today and there were LOTS of 5lb boxes of clemmies available — we may need to take a pit stop for you next week! (YOU WILL BE HERE IN ONE WEEK FROM NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW)
I got one of the last good boxes at Wegman’s yesterday!
Where is this recipe in Bon appetit Desserts please. I do have this book but cannnot find it.
It isn’t actually in Bon Appetit Desserts, but I based my basic pound cake recipe off of it!
Oh my… so delicious. I just made it and I’m resisting the urge to gobble up the whole thing
thanks for sharing such a creative recipe.
So glad you like it!!
Julie @SavvyEats recently posted..The Little Things 27
I made this recipe this past weekend. It was WONDERFUL. Surprisingly light and delicate scent – loved every bit.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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