1. In a large pot, combine Redpath® Organic Granulated Sugar and water and bring to a boil until sugar granules are dissolved into a simple syrup.
2. Take pot off heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add sliced clementines, allow to slightly overlap on each other.
3. Take a square or rectangle piece of parchment paper. Fold once lengthwise and then again along the width. Make a triangular shape, fold again at a 45 degree angle and once again to make the shape shown below.
4. Visually align the point of this triangle into the middle of the pot and mark on the outside where the pot ends. Cut along this line and you will now have a large circle, which will fit inside the pot.
5. Place parchment circle on top of the citrus fruits and use a small pot lid or an oven proof plate plate to submerge the fruit into the syrup as it cooks.
6. Turn heat to low and cook clementines for 40 minutes. Do not allow to boil or it will disintegrate the segmented parts of the fruit.
7. After 40 minutes, take the pot off heat and allow to cool to room temperature with the clementines still submerged in the simple syrup.
8. Once cooled, carefully remove the citrus slices and put them onto a cooling rack. Allow them to dry out at room temperature for at least 8 hours.
9. Reserve the flavoured simple syrup for a final step.
How to prepare the cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a bundt or circular pan with butter or spray oil
2. In a medium-sized pot, combine butter, milk, vanilla bean and pod, and clementine peel. Place on stove at a very low heat and allow to become hot to infuse the flavours of the vanilla and orange for 10 - 15 minutes. Do not allow to simmer or boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using a hand blender or stand mixer, combine eggs and Redpath® Organic Granulated Sugar. Whip until mixture becomes fluffy and light coloured, usually about 5 minutes.
4. Strain the hot butter, milk, vanilla, and clementine peel mixture through a fine sieve and into a pourable container or a lipped bowl. Slowly pour into the eggs and sugar mixture and whisk gently until well combined.
5. In two additions, add dry ingredients into the previous mixture. Fold into wet ingredients gently until well combined. Add batter into bundt pan.
6. Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for one hour, or until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted comes out clean.
7. Once the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, poke it all over with a wooden or bamboo skewer and drizzle ¼ of the remaining clementine simple syrup. Wait another 10 minutes and drizzle the remaining syrup, allowing to fall below the cooling rack.
8. Garnish with candied clementine.