Add an extra touch of warmth and sweetness to your home by baking this Clementine Cake with Cardamom and Rose Icing. Bright clementines, the warming spice of cardamom, and the delicate, floral notes of rose combine to create a sensory experience that's hard to resist. This cake can be prepared quickly by combining the wet ingredients in a blender, making it a perfect choice as a potluck dessert or even an easy weeknight treat.


Clementines out of season? No worries! You can bake this cake any time of the year by using mandarin oranges as a substitute for clementines. Follow my simple recipe, and you'll have a deliciously fragrant cake in no time!

Clementine cardamom cake blender ingredients.
Clementine cardamom blender cake with rose icing sliced.
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Ingredients


For the cake:

  • 2 large clementines*, quartered and seeds removed 
  • 1 cup (98g) sugar 
  • 1/2 cup (98g) vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp salt


For the icing:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 -1 tbsp rosewater
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1-2 Tbsp dried rose petals (optional)



Directions


For the cake:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 5 or 6 cup bundt pan, or 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf pan. Set aside
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a blender or food processor, blend the clementines, sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Pour clementine mixture into the flour mixture. Gently mix until combined.
  4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.


For the icing:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, rose water, vanilla and milk. Mix until fully combined, adding more milk for a runnier consistency.
  2. Smooth or pour over cooled cake and let set before serving.
  3. Enjoy!


*NOTES

  • Clementines: Mandarins can be substituted if clementines are out of season, or you can't find them. Their sizes vary, so if they're small, then use 3 clementines. You can also use a whole orange! Just cut off the ends so you're using less of the pith and make the recipe as usual.
  • Vegetable Oil: Any neutral flavor oil will work with this recipe, like safflower or avocado oil. Olive oil can be used, but it will alter the overall flavor of the cake.