Clementine Cake

Proof that grain free and sugar free is as delicious as can be!

Grain-free eating can be very intimidating. For our whole lives we have been eating breads, cereal, pasta, cookies, rice, crackers, and, least we forget, cakes! Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg of grain-based foods. So, to say that you are going to remove all grain from your diet can seem completely overwhelming. However, it doesn't have to be. Knowledge is power, and perception is reality. My suggestion to you is to learn about how, and why, you can remove and substitute grains before you actually take the actions to do so. Some great sites to get started are:

Mark's Daily Apple
Robb Wolf



From there, you can find different websites that have a wealth of recipes that are either grain free and/or grain substitutes. Once you learn more about grain free living you will also notice that there are many traditional foods that we eat that are already grain free! Like Clementine Cake! However, I used a recipe that also removes the traditional refined sugar and replaced it with natural sugar from maple syrup.

Clementine Cake

The Food
- 5 whole clementines (organic if possible- citrus can have very nasty chemicals on the peel and we will use the whole fruit)
- 6 eggs
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups fine almond meal
- 1 tsp baking powder

The Prep
Clean clementines (very important, especially if not organic!); wash with natural, bio-degradable soap and rinse thoroughly. If you don't have natural soap, use white vinegar and hot water- place clementines in a non-reactive bowl, pour about 1/4 cup white vinegar over, cover with hot water for about 5 minutes, and rinse thoroughly. DO NOT PEEL
Put clean clementines in a pot on the stove and cover with cool water
Boil water then reduce to simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary
Remove from hot water and let cool for about 20 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Mix almond meal and baking powder in a medium bowl
Grease a bundt pan, springform pan, or loaf pan, lined with parchment (helps removal)

The Method
Cut clementines in half and remove any seeds if necessary
Put clementines in food processor and process until smooth
Taste mixture- if super bitter you may want to add more maple syrup and if super sweet you may want to add less...
Add maple syrup and vanilla extract, process again
Add eggs while processor is running, one at a time (this is main reason we want to cool the clementines earlier)
Mix almond meal mix into clementine mix until incorporated
Pour batter into prepared pan
Bake for about 45 minutes, checking every 5 minutes after 30 with the toothpick test
*If cake starts to brown too much, cover loosely with foil
*The cake should rise in the middle and spring back when done, if you don't have any toothpicks
Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then remove and put in the refrigerator
*It will deflate slightly, but don't worry!
Serve cool or at room temperature, with homemade whipped cream

Enjoy :)


This post is part of The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter and Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday