Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake Recipe

Step-By-Step Guide To Nigella Lawson’s Clementine Cake: The One That Smells Like Winter

Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake Recipe uses whole simmered clementines and ground almonds to create a moist, fragrant cake that tastes even better the next day. Here’s the full method and tips.

A bowl of clementines sits on the kitchen counter, the kind that get bought with good intentions and then slowly forgotten. A few days pass, the peel gets softer, and someone finally decides to do something about it. Not marmalade. Not fruit salad. Something better. A cake that uses the whole fruit, peel and all, and somehow turns it into a slice that tastes like sunshine in the middle of a cold week.

That is the charm of Nigella Lawson’s Clementine Cake. It is dense in the best way, fragrant, and naturally gluten-free if the baking powder is gluten-free (or left out). It also keeps well and often tastes even better after a day or two, which is rare for cake. Nigella describes it as an adaptation of Claudia Roden’s orange and almond cake, and it appears in How to Eat (1998).

Below is a blog-style guide to the recipe, with the exact core ingredient list and method Nigella shares, plus a bunch of tried-and-tested tips that make it easier to nail at home.

What Makes This Cake Different

Most citrus cakes start with zest and juice. This one starts with whole clementines simmered until completely soft. Then the entire fruit gets blitzed into a puree, including the peel. That sounds intense, but it is what gives the cake its bittersweet, perfumy depth.

The rest is also simple: eggs for lift, sugar for sweetness, and ground almonds for structure and that moist, almost pudding-like crumb. It is flourless, so it has a fudgy feel rather than a fluffy sponge.

See also: Thomas Keller’s Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients (Nigella’s Original)

This is the classic ingredient list as published on Nigella’s site:

• Clementines: about 375g, roughly 4 (whole, unpeeled)

• 6 large eggs

• 225g white sugar

• 250g ground almonds (almond meal)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder (see gluten-free note below)

Pan size: 20cm (8-inch) springform tin.

Step-By-Step Method

1) Cook the clementines until soft.

Put the whole clementines in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, then partially cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Drain and discard the cooking water. Let the fruit cool.

Shortcut options: Nigella notes faster methods too. Microwave: roughly 8–10 minutes (covered dish with a little water, turning halfway). Pressure cooker: cook around 15 minutes after coming up to pressure.

2) Puree the whole fruit.

Cut the cooled clementines in half and remove any pips. Then blitz the whole lot (skin, pith, and flesh) in a food processor until pulpy and fairly smooth.

3) Mix the batter.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / 375°F (Gas 5). Grease and line the springform tin.

Now either:

• Add the eggs, sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder straight into the processor with the fruit and mix, or

• Beat the eggs by hand, add sugar, almonds, and baking powder, then stir in the clementine pulp.

4) Bake, then cool fully.

Pour into the tin and bake for about 1 hour, until a skewer comes out clean. After about 40 minutes, the top may brown too quickly, so cover loosely with foil or greaseproof paper if needed.

Cool the cake on a rack in the tin. When fully cold, unmould. Nigella also mentions it is often better the next day.

See also: Alice Waters’ Blueberry Cobbler

Tips That Help It Turn Out Right

• Remove seeds carefully: A single missed pip can ruin a slice with an unexpected bitter crunch. Slice every clementine and check properly before blitzing.

• Line the tin properly: This cake is moist and delicate. A lined base and sides make it much easier to release cleanly, especially with a springform tin.

• Don’t panic if it looks dark: Because the batter is naturally deep orange, the surface can brown fast. That mid-bake foil cover is not optional in many ovens. Nigella specifically flags this around the 40-minute mark.

• Let it rest: This cake settles as it cools, and the flavour improves after a rest. It is the kind of bake that feels calm and confident the next day, not rushed.

How to Serve Clementine Cake

This cake works in two moods:

• As dessert: a thick slice with crème fraîche or lightly whipped cream. Nigella calls it perfect as a pudding.

• As a tea-time cake: plain, simple, and sturdy, with coffee or tea.

For a low-effort finish, a light dusting of icing sugar looks great. If serving for a dinner, add a spoon of crème fraîche and a few fresh clementine segments on the side.

Storage and Make-Ahead

Nigella notes it keeps in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 7 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap plus foil. Thaw at room temperature for about 3 hours.

This is why it is such a useful cake for hosting. It can be made ahead, it slices neatly when chilled, and it does not dry out the way many sponge cakes do.

Gluten-Free Note

The cake is flourless already, but baking powder can sometimes include gluten depending on the brand. Nigella’s guidance is to use gluten-free baking powder, or simply omit it.

The Simple Reason People Keep Coming Back to It

Clementine Cake is not trying to be fancy. It is just clever. Whole fruit, ground almonds, and a method that looks unusual but is easy once it is broken down. It tastes bright, warm, and deeply citrusy, and it fits almost any moment: a quiet afternoon snack, a dinner-party dessert, or a “use up what’s in the fruit bowl” win.

And when clementines start piling up again, this is the recipe that suddenly feels like the obvious answer.

See also: Thomas Keller’s Potato Pavé