IF you are as OLD as I am you may remember this catchy tune about a miner’s daughter whose name was Clementine. Since I started writing this blog it seems that I can’t get that song outta my head so I’m going to share it with you as well to drive you crazy. Just click on this short video to sing along. And while you’re singing here’s a brief bio on a Clementine Orange: A clementine is a hybrid between a mandarin and a sweet orange. The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into 7 to 14 segments. They tend to be very easy to peel, like a tangerine, but are almost always seedless with the exception of the odd one that I get with a pit.

My youngest child loves clementines. The picture below is titled “elephant face” and as you can see his artistic talent for peeling them into odd shapes are clearly stellar. Back to the clementines….you will notice them showing up at your local supermarket from mid-November through January. It’s the only time of year you can truly get a good clementine. Let’s just call it a Winter season bonus. I’ve also given you a two versions of this orange cranberry cake to try – including a dairy free and gluten free one if you need that option for allergies. Oooooooo and I decided to take it to the next level and create a garnish for the cake with candied clementines. Stunning no? Here’s how ya do it: Version #1 -  Clementine Cranberry Cake: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup white sugar 1/3 cup orange juice 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries 2 tablespoons grated clementine orange zest 1 cup orange juice 3/4 cup white sugar Grease and flour an 8 inch bundt or tube pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of white sugar, 1/3 cup of orange juice, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil using an electric mixer or your stand mixer. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and orange zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick is inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan set over a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert cake onto serving dish and cool completely before glazing and garnishing. Version #2 - Dairy and Gluten Free Candied Clementine & Cranberry Cake CAKE ¼ cup + 1 tbls Milk or any non-dairy substitute such as almond or soy 1 tsp lemon juice 2 cups packed almond flour ¾ cup starch (potato or arrowroot is fine) ½ cup organic sugar 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or melted butter or other oil is fine too) 2 large eggs 1 ¼ cup frozen or fresh cranberries Zest of 2 clementines Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a small cake pan ( I used a 6 inch)  with coconut oil or line with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine “milk” with lemon juice. Set aside for 5 minutes (you are creating your own mock buttermilk at this stage)…cool eh? In a large bowl combine almond flour, starch, sugar, baking powder, salt and stir well. Add in the melted coconut oil, eggs and your mock buttermilk. Stir in cranberries and clementine zest. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out surface. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan and release onto plate to continue to cool completely. Candied Clementines: Slice 6 clementines thinly. Bring one cup of water and 1 ¾ cups of sugar to a slow boil. Add in the clementines and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon onto cooling rack and place in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.Clementine Glaze: 1 ½ cups powdered icing sugar Juice from 2 clementines Sift sugar into bowl. Add 2 tbls of clementine juice and mix. Keep adding juice until you arrive at the consistency for a nice drippy glaze. You don’t want it too thick otherwise it will not pour over the edge of the cake. Spread on top to the edges and watch it roll! Garnish with your candies clementines……..OH MY DARLING !!! Debi @thegardenofeatin xoxo