“Oh, my darling, oh, my darling”—you’ll be singing this sweet, sweet song until you bite into this, one of our favorite cakes. Then you’ll forget all about singing and focus your attention on the delicious citrus flavor mixed ever so delicately in a moist white cake. A cross between sweet oranges and Chinese mandarins, clementines add a touch of unexpected sweetness—and are what make the cake, in our opinion. Pun intended.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 to 10 servings

　　Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco

　　All-purpose flour

　　3/4 cup water

　　1 (18.2-ounce) box white cake mix

　　4 large egg whites, lightly beaten

　　1/2 cup plus 5 to 6 teaspoons clementine juice (from about 7 clementines)

　　1/4 cup canola oil

　　1 1/2 teaspoons grated clementine zest

　　4 clementines, peeled, sectioned, and membranes removed

　　1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

　　3 cups confectioners’ sugar

　　3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, for garnish

　　24 clementine sections with membranes removed (about 2 1/2 clementines), for garnish

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 1/2 x 13-inch casserole dish.

　　

Step 2

In the bowl of a electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the water, cake mix, egg whites, 1/2 cup of the clementine juice, the canola oil, and 1 teaspoon of the clementine zest. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared casserole dish. Place the sections from 2 clementines evenly across the top of the batter; gently press down into batter. Chop the remaining 2 clementines’ sections and sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.

　　

Step 3

To make the frosting, in a small bowl, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon clementine zest, and 5 teaspoons of clementine juice, and beat with a wire whisk until combined. If the frosting is too thick to spread, thin it by adding more juice. Frost the cooled cake.

　　

Step 4

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Dip the clementine sections for the garnish halfway into the chocolate and allow the excess to drip off. Place on a waxed paper–lined baking sheet; refrigerate until set.

　　

Step 5

To serve, cut the cake into slices and place one chocolate-dipped clementine section on each slice.

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.