Chocolate Cranberry & Clementine Cake {gluten-free}

Chocolate Cranberry Clementine Cake on a white plate on a wooden board

Chocolate Cranberry & Clementine Cake {gluten-free}

Chocolate Cranberry & Clementine Cake has two layers of moist chocolate orange sponge sandwiched with cranberry sauce and generously frosted with chocolate orange buttercream, sugared cranberries and candied clementine slices. Made with gluten-free flours

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time2 hrs 5 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: people

Calories: 1071kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

Cranberry Clementine Cake

125 g dark chocolate
150 g white rice flour
60 g oat flour
20 g tapioca flour
90 g cocoa powder
1¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon salt
400 g buttermilk
160 g caster sugar
160 g soft light brown sugar
zest of 2 clementines + 1 extra clementine for the cranberry sauce (see notes)
170 ml olive oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
200 g cranberry sauce see notes

Chocolate Buttercream

500 g unsalted butter
500 g icing sugar
90 g cocoa powder
150 g chocolate melted
juice of 2 clementines
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sugared Cranberries

120 g + 60g caster sugar
120 ml water
125 g fresh cranberries

Candied Clementines

2 clementines
120 g caster sugar
120 ml water

Instructions

Cranberry Clementine Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and line and grease 2 x 8 inch round cake tins.
Melt the chocolate in a bain marie then set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, coffee and salt and set aside.
In another bowl (or a stand mixer) beat together the buttermilk, the sugars, clementine zest, olive oil, eggs and vanilla then add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
Pour in the melted chocolate and mix in until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins then place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Turn out the cakes and cool on wire racks before filling and decorating.

Chocolate Buttercream

Beat together the butter and sugar for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
Add cocoa, melted chocolate, clementine juice, salt and vanilla extract and beat into the creamed butter and sugar until everything is smooth and evenly combined.

Sugared Cranberries

Pour the 120g of caster sugar into a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a low boil until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour in the cranberries and stir to coat evenly with the sugar syrup.
Place in the fridge overnight.
The next day remove the cranberries from the syrup with a slotted spoon, pat dry with a kitchen towel then spread out evenly onto a plate.
Sprinkle over the remaining 60g of caster sugar and gently roll the cranberries so they are totally coated with sugar.
Leave to dry for at least an hour before using.

Candied Clementine Slices

Pour caster sugar into a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a low boil until the sugar dissolves.
Cut the clementines into thin slices then submerge into the sugar syrup. Bring the syrup back to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off.
Remove the clementine slices from the sugar syrup (reserve the syrup for clementine bellinis on Christmas morning*) with a slotted spoon then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for 10 minutes at 150°C. Turn the slices over and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool before you use them to decorate.

Assembly

Place one of the sponge layers on a cake board and pipe a circle of buttercream at the very edge of the top of the cake to act like a dam for the cranberry sauce.
Spread the cranberry sauce on top of the sponge, right to the edges of the buttercream dam.
Place the second sponge layer on top and cover the top and the sides of the cake with the buttercream.
Decorate the top of the cake with the sugared cranberries and candied clementines.

Notes

If you are not gluten-free you can swap the 3 gluten-free flours for 230g plain white flour instead.
For the whole cake you can use any kind of orange zest and juice – it doesn’t have to be clementines – but they do give a gorgeous tangy flavour.
I recommend this Homemade Cranberry Clementine Sauce for the cake filling. Alternatively, you can use any leftover cranberry sauce, homemade or shop bought, warm it up in a small saucepan with the zest of 1 clementine and leave to cool until needed.
To make Clementine Bellinis all you need is 1 tablespoon of the clementine syrup at the bottom of your champagne glass and top it up with plenty of fizz.
This cake freezes well. Either freeze the sponges individually before decorating with buttercream or freeze leftover cake in slices. In both instances wrap up well to avoid spoilage.
The finished cake will keep for up to 5 days if refrigerated, or up to 3 days out of the fridge in an airtight tin.

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