Clementine Cream Cake
One 9” two-layer cake
Caramelized Fruit:
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
6 Tbsp dark brown sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
3-4 Clementines (depending on the size)
A dozen or so toasted hazelnuts (if desired)
Cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp Chinese Five-Spice powder
2 cups granulated sugar
14 ounces (3½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup orange marmalade
1 tsp vanilla paste
8 large eggs
Filling:
½ cup orange marmalade (warm 2 Tbsp to brush on top of cake)
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
1) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line two buttered 9” cake pans with parchment.
2) In a small saucepan, melt the 6 Tbsp butter and then whisk in the brown sugar and salt just until the mixture begins to bubble. Pour the mixture into the bottom of one of your prepared cake pans.
3) Slice the clementines into ¼” rounds lightly dry them on a paper towel. Lay them in a decorative pattern over the butter/brown sugar and fill the spaces with hazelnuts (if desired).
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and five-spice. Set aside.
5) In a standing mixture, cream together the butter and sugar for the cake. Mix in the marmalade, the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
6) On low, add in the dry mixture and mix just until the batter is smooth. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
7) After ten minutes, turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
8) In a standing mixer, whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks and add in the confectioner’s sugar to sweeten.
9) Warm 2 Tbsp of the marmalade in the microwave (20 seconds should do). Spread the remaining cool marmalade on the bottom cake later. Spread the whipped cream over the marmalade and top with the clementine layer. Brush the warm marmalade over the top of the cake.
