Flourless clementine, pistachio and rosewater cake

This is based on a Nigella Lawson recipe for a clementine cake using the whole fruit (skin, pith and all) and no flour, but also takes inspiration from a lovely Nigel Slater recipe from his book The Kitchen Diaries, adding pistachios and rosewater to the flavours.

I made it as a birthday cake for my mum, as I was looking for an interesting wheat-free cake idea for my two gluten-free sisters to enjoy with all of us – I’m not a big fan of wheat-free flour so I wanted a flourless recipe.  Mostly flourless cakes are chocolate ones (my favourite is this black forest gateau recipe) but Mum's not a chocolate fan.  This cake suits all those complicated things - wheat free, flourless, non-chocolate - but delicious and quite grown up!  Served with iced mint tea, happy birthday Mum! 

Ingredients

4-5 clementines (about 14 oz total)

6 eggs

8 oz sugar

3 tsp rosewater

4 oz ground almonds

4 oz unsalted pistachios, ground

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder


For icing glaze
Icing sugar
Splash of rosewater
Juice of half a clementine


For decoration
A handful of whole pistachios
Pink, green and white candy sprinkles

Method

1. Place the clementines in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours.
2. Drain and leave to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/190ºC.
4. Grease and line a 24cm loose bottomed cake tin.
5. When cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the pips, then blitz (skins, pith and fruit) in a blender or food processor.
6. Beat the eggs and then beat in the sugar and rosewater.
7. Next add the almonds, pistachios and baking powder and mix well.
8. Add the pulped oranges and beat until well combined.
9. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and place on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven.
10. Bake for an hour – but after about 40 mins of baking, cover the tin with foil or greaseproof paper to stop the top of the cake burning.
11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
12. Make a thin glaze by beating sifted icing sugar with clementine juice and a splash of rosewater.  Once the cake is completely cool, pour the glaze over the cake and use a pastry brush to coat the sides and top of the cake.
13. Decorate with whole pistachios (I used candy sprinkles too as it was for a birthday cake).