Clementine Cake

This ultra moist Clementine Cake is bursting at the seems with sunshiny mandarine citrus. Thinly sliced clementine oranges nestle into brown sugar and butter, topped with a buttermilk cake that has clementine zest and juice poured over top and baked until perfect. Invert onto a cake pan to reveal the beauty that is this homemade clementine cake. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Makes one 9-inch upside down cake.

Course cake

Cuisine American

Keyword buttermilk, cake, clementine, upside down cake

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 436

Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

Wilton SS-DAR-WI2105-7908 Aluminum Performance Pans Set of 2 9-Inch Round Cake Set, 9"

Ingredients

1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
2/3 cup light brown sugar
4 to 5 clementines sliced no thicker than 1/4 of an inch plus more for zest and juicing (1 bag)
1-¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons clementine zest from about 4 clementines
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh squeezed clementine juice
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350℉ (or 180℃).
Spray your 9" cake pan with a non-stick cooking spray (I used coconut oil). Next pour in the 1/4 cup of melted butter and sprinkle in 2/3 cup light brown sugar.
Arrange the thin slices of clementines on top of the sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a small bowl, rub the sugar with the zest until it resembles wet sand.
In a large mixing bowl, lightly whisk the eggs before adding in the zesty sugar, juice, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Then alternate adding 1/3 of the flour mixture with 1/2 of the buttermilk, beginning with and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined and then pour the batter overtop of the sliced clementines. Tap the pan on your counter to release any trapped air.
Slide the cake onto the middle rack of your preheated oven [place on the lower third rack if you have a tiny oven, like me!] and bake for 40 to 50 minute or until a cake tester comes out clean after inserted into he middle of the cake. While baking, if you notice that your cake is getting to brown, you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to keep the cake from getting too brown.
Then allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before running a knife along the edge of the pan and inverting it onto a cake plate.
Once the cake has cooled, dust with powdered sugar before serving with whipped cream.
Store the cake in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap for 2 to 3 days.

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