Chocolate Clementine Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce

 I have had this recipe in my files for years.  I've taken it out every winter when clementines come around; I don't know why I'd never tried it.  Sometimes you just have to let them season, until the time is right.

We had friends over for dinner the day after Christmas.  It was a massive effort to get the house presentable that fast after hurricane Santa had hit.  My big contribution to that effort was to collect the clementines everyone had gotten in their stockings and make this cake.  I'm such a team player.

It's basically the cake version of everyone's chocolate orange.  Except the chocolate is much better.  And the sauce is gorgeous and delish.  Decadent.  Seasonal and special.  I even considered granting the "healthy-ish" label, since it has fresh fruit in it, but the seven eggs held me back.  Life is full of give and takes like that.  It was worth every single bite.

Chocolate Clementine Cake with Hot Chocolate Sauce (print recipe)
Makes 12 to 16 servings

Cake:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, cut into pieces
7 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar, divided
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp grated clementine zest (from about 2 clementines)*
2 medium clementines, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 T orange liqueur OR orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
Hot Chocolate Sauce (below) and sweetened whipped cream for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan; line bottom with parchment paper.  Grease and flour parchment, tapping out excess flour; set aside.

2.  Stir together chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until smooth.  Remove from heat.

3.  Beat egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl at medium speed with an electric mixer until pale and thick.  Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until blended.  Add flour, beating until blended, stopping to scrape down sides.  Stir in zest, chopped clementines, and orange liqueur/juice.

4.  Beat egg whites in a separate bowl at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until foamy.  Add salt and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 T at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.  Fold one-third egg white mixture into chocolate mixture; repeat twice.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.

5.  Bake at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes or until slightly firm to touch.  (Cracks will form on top of cake.)  Remove cake to a wire rack; run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen.  Cool slightly.

6.  Remove sides of springform pan.  Invert cake onto serving plate, and remove springform bottom and parchment paper.  Serve warm with Hot Chocolate Sauce; garnish with whipped cream, if desired.

*After zesting clementines, use a serrated knife to remove remaining peel and white membrane from fruit, then coarsely chop peeled clementines.

Hot Chocolate Sauce:
Makes 1 1/3 cups

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 T light corn syrup
1 1/2 T orange liqueur OR orange juice
1 T butter

Stir together all ingredients in a heavy saucepan over medium-plow heat for about 5 minutes or until smooth.  Serve over Chocolate Clementine Cake.  Refrigerate unused sauce and serve over ice cream or waffles or use in milkshakes.  Yum!

Recipe from MyRecipes, December 2005