I make this cake quite a lot. It serves many purposes:
- Using clementines makes it feel a little bit festive
- George always asks for chocolate cake, but I find chocolate sponges a bit ‘meh’
- It lasts for days in a tin
- It is flourless
- There is no butter in it
- The flavour is reminiscent of Terry’s Chocolate Orange
- I like cakes where you blast it all up in the food processor
- Boiling the fruit makes the house smell of oranges
- It’s useful when I have been a crazy lady and accidentally bought eggs, twice
- It’s good to take round to a friends as it’s very portable
- I am a bit of a ‘feeder’ so it’s a good one as you can entice people on a diet (fat free) or coeliacs (no flour) to eat it
- It makes an excellent dessert with a spoonful of crème fraîche
- When I get suckered in to 2 for 1 on bags of clementines and then realise we are never going to eat 20 between 3 of us, I can throw some slightly wizened ones into this
But most of all it is useful as I can enter it into…
Maison Cupcake’s Nigella Forever Blogging Challenge
I met Sarah from Maison Cupcake back at a Food Photography Workshop in October 2009. She was well ahead of me in the food blogging arena, and still is (#1 in the Wikio Blog rankings this month, I am way down at #50) and we have kept up with each others posts ever since. I like the little community that has built up between many of the online foodies. I even spent one evening a year or so ago talking to Sarah on the phone as she hunted around Walthamstow in the dark trying to sort out the right icing for a Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Back to the cake in question.
The original recipe is in Nigella Lawson’s Feast Book, but the recipe was also printed in the Daily Mail, way back in 2004. I have also made the original clementine cake, which is just as delicious and just as easy. The basic premise is that you boil 2 oranges or half a dozen (375g) clementines for a couple of hours, then pulverize it in a food processor. Then you add all the other stuff in one go and bake it for an hour.
I only messed it up once, the first time I made it, when I didn’t cook it for quite long enough as were dashing off on holiday. Do make a little foil hat for it for the 2nd half of the cooking so you can cook it for the full hour.
I tend to turn to Nigella when a cake is needed as I have never been let down by her methods or quantities like I have with many male ‘chefs’ recipes. She knows how to thoroughly test a cake recipe as well as how to eat one.
If you have a favourite Nigella recipe and a blog, why not cook it and enter Sarah’s #ForeverNigella Challenge?
Unfortunately I can’t show you a slice of this cake, served with crème fraîche and a grating of orange zest.
Because we ate it all.
__________________________
STOP PRESS
I just found a wee photo of the last lonely slice…
Sally
January 8, 2011
I’m a big fan of Nigella recipes for every day and Feast is my most used book but I can’t remember ever seeing this recipe. It sounds and looks so good so thanks for sharing. I just happen to have the last sad looking clementines of Christmas hanging around begging to be made into chocolate cake.
thingswemake
January 10, 2011
Make it! You know you want to!
Babygirl
January 8, 2011
I am sucha chocolate cake fanatic but I never though of pariting orange with it until now. Your pictures look amazing so I have to try this cake recipe
Janice
January 8, 2011
Looks fabulous!
Kasey
January 10, 2011
Looks fabulous – I love the color contrasts in your photos, too – citrus and chocolate are always a great combination.
rsmacaalay
January 10, 2011
Nothing beats an orange chocolate cake, Yummy!
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
January 10, 2011
This does sound wonderful, I have made the store cupboard cake with marmalade from Domestic Goddess but never tried this one. Your photos look wonderful as ever – thank you for your lovely comments about me, I mark that photography event as when my blog really started so I really wasn’t ahead of anyone at that point and you know your way round a camera far better than I do!
Thanks for taking part in the first Forever Nigella and I hope to see you again in future months!
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
January 10, 2011
I have made the clementine cake many times, but never with chocolate!
I have cooked clementines in the freezer so may have to make one of these!
sarah, simply cooked
January 10, 2011
The cake sounds delicious, a great entry into the event! But I really commented because of your mention of Wikio blogs. I had never heard of it before and then I stepped over and realised I am listed there, too. A nice surprise, number 120 in Gastronomy and I didn’t even know I was participating. 🙂 Thanks for the heads up, Claire.
Do you follow stats much? I have started using Google Analytics and Feedburner and I’ve always tracked where my page views come from. Maybe you have some tips? 🙂
thingswemake
January 10, 2011
Hi Sarah. I try not to get hung up on any rankings, it can send you loopy! I look at my WordPress ‘in house’ stats the most as it helps me see what people are interested in, what they search for on Google and where people find the blog. I find Google analytics and Feedburner too confusing. I have them set up on things{you}make but I can’t make head nor tail of them most of the time. WordPress stats are simple and immediate so they work best for me.
sarah, simply cooked
January 10, 2011
Hi Claire, thanks for the update. Blogger has some “in house” stats, too, and they are quite readable. For instance I realised a lot of people come to me when searching Google for a particular Nigel Slater recipe, so I improved the picture in that post. They still don’t spend long looking at it (about 10 seconds) so who knows what they’re really looking for!!
I appreciate your comment because it’s something I haven’t heard talked about much. Take care, sarah.
GirlDonePud
January 10, 2011
Beautiful photography for a delicious looking cake. I’d go as far as saying your photo looks better than the one in the book! I’ve baked many cakes from Feast but for some reason I’ve never made this one.
You’ve inspired me though. My colleagues shall be tucking into chocolate orange baked goodness one day very soon!
thingswemake
January 10, 2011
Thank you. So glad you like it, and the photos. Let me know if you make it.
freshandfoodie
January 10, 2011
Beautiful! I love Nigella, too.
thingswemake
January 10, 2011
I am so grateful for all your very kind comments on this post. Many thanks.
Lindsay
January 10, 2011
Oh! I am so excited to try this cake!! I just got a Nigella cookbook for Christmas and will have to comb through it immediately!
wayne artmann
January 10, 2011
Great pics and it looks so yummy…………………but can we have the recipe so that we can try it out for ourselves please.
thingswemake
January 10, 2011
Hi Wayne, thanks for the compliment! Sarah asked if we would not copy recipes out for this challenge, so that people can continue to buy Nigella’s fantastic books, but if you click on the ‘recipe’ link just beneath the 2nd photo it will take you to the recipe that was printed in the Newspaper.
Caran H
June 20, 2011
I followed the link to the recipe. Is it an error that cocoa is listed twice? Do I need 50 g of cocoa or 100 g?
Thanks.
thingswemake.co.uk
June 20, 2011
Hi, yes I think it is an error as it is only 50g in the book :o)
Corinna
January 10, 2011
Love your blog and love the pictures! I’m learning to take pictures of food and I love the use of color and texture. The cake sounds absolutely yummy too!
w
January 11, 2011
hi,
i found your blog through tastespotting and your cake looks great! I have heard of whole oranges used in cakes (Claudia Roden was one of the first i believe) but the choc version looks even better 🙂
what has always worried me though is that the cake should turn out too wet and dense, but from your photo, it looks just right.
Is the recipe you used exactly the same as the one from the Daily Mail? That recipe is a vague with regards to the qty of orange used. I see you mention 375 g – should that be the qty of oranges before boiling and pureeing, skin and all? If the rest of the recipe is similar, that would be a good guideline for me.
i would love to make this cake and any clarification from you would be much appreciated. THANKS!
thingswemake
January 11, 2011
Hi there! Thanks for your comment. Yes, the recipe is the same as the one in the newspaper, but with a bit more detail, i.e. 375g of clementines. I also line the tin.
Kulsum at JourneyKitchen
January 11, 2011
This looks fabulous. If only I didn’t promise myself I wont be making any desserts this week, I would make it. But bookmarking it for later!
Sophia
January 11, 2011
Awesome recipe! I never think of combining carrot and chocolate together. You should consider entering this cake into Recipe4Living’s 5th Birthday Recipe Contest! The site is turning 5 years old, and we’re giving away a Scharffen Berger gift basket to the top birthday cake that’s submitted!
Julie
January 11, 2011
I received the ‘Feast’ Book for Christmas and this has inspire me to make this cake, I have some clementines left over and will do nicely in this recipe. P. S. Love your blog x
Lucy
January 11, 2011
I love Nigella and this looks like a classic! Decadent and delicious 🙂
Christina
January 13, 2011
Oh I love the chocolate orange combination! This looks incredable! Looks like I have yet another cookbook I need to go out and get! 😉
Giorgio Broggini
January 13, 2011
i am an italian chef ( Osteria di Porta Cicca ) i would like to cooperatare with your blog. Many Thanks Giorgio
backto1984
January 21, 2011
My favorite combination is chocolate and orange. Growing up I remember sponge candy covered in orange chocolate, you can’t get it here out West…:(
Mr. P
January 27, 2011
Your copy of ‘Feast’ is in better condition than mine! 🙂
jennifurla
January 27, 2011
Just found your blog…gorgeous
Brownieville Girl
January 27, 2011
Congratulations on your big win :-}
Beautiful photos of a great cake.
Lo81
January 28, 2011
Your cake looks gorgeous!!
Melissa
February 4, 2011
I love chocolate and orange together but I have never tried it in a cake. Thanks for the recipe!
randomthreesome
January 31, 2012
Reblogged this on randomthreesome and commented:
fabulous recipes. we like.
thingswemake.co.uk
February 4, 2012
Thanks…you randomethreesome!
radhika25
November 2, 2012
I love chocolate and orange, and I love them together 🙂