Dec 16, 2020

Clementine Loaf

If you're a fan of delicious, seasonal citrus desserts, this clementine loaf recipe, will not disappoint.

The wonderfully sweet clementine is the first citrus fruit to come into season each year. It is one of the iconic fruits of the holidays, and a special, sunny treat on a cold winter day. I love finding new ways of working them into my holiday menu, like this zesty (and a wee bit boozy) clementine loaf.

Though it's meant for an adult crowd, this cake can be de-boozified by replacing the Triple Sec with orange juice, or additional clementine juice.

With a few strategic substitutions, this cake can be made gluten-free, and safe for ovo-lacto vegetarians.

The batter for this cake is fairly heavy, so it's important that it bake completely. If you find it needs more time and it's getting too dark, cover it loosely with some tinfoil and move it to the lower rack of the oven until ready.

TIP: If you want to take your presentation up a notch and impress guests and family, try baking this clememtine loaf in a decorative pan. Once the cake is ready, dust the top with a light dusting of Monkfruit baking sweetener (or regular powdered sugar) to accentuate the design.

TIP: If using a non-decorative, non-stick loaf pan, you can omit the cooking spray from this recipe; however, keep the parchment paper lining as it will make it easier to lift this cake out cleanly.

Ingredients

(Makes 12 servings)

0-calorie cooking spray
5 clementines (or other small citrus fruits)
3 eggs
3/4 cup monkfruit baking sweetener (or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup avocado oil (or light vegetable oil)
1/2 cup Triple Sec (or Cointreau, orange juice, or fruity white wine)
1/2 cup cornmeal, fine or medium grind
2 cups all-purpose flour (or Cassava flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup monkfruit baking sweetener for decorating (optional)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 325°F / 160°C. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray then cut a piece of parchment paper that will fit the width of the bottom of the pan and up both sides (omit parchment paper if using a decorative loaf pan). Spray the paper with an additional light coating of cooking spray then set aside.

Cut the clementines in half and discard any seeds you might find. Chop the clementines, peel and all, into smaller pieces and process in a food processor until they turn into a purée. Some of the peel may still be visible, but this is ok. Set the purée aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sweetener and beat until the mixture turns pale yellow and ribbons of the mixture are able sit on top of the batter for a moment before being reabsorbed.

Stir in the oil and Triple Sec, followed by the clementine purée, and then the cornmeal. Stir well.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until it's brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean (approximately 1 hour).

Let the cake cool for several minutes before you try removing it from the pan. Use the parchment paper to help you lift the cake from the pan to a cooling rack. Let the cake cool to room temperature before dusting or decorating the top with powdered sugar (optional) and serving.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: