I didn’t know about kumquats till about 3 years ago. I tried them for the first time last year, when a friend offered me some. She said you can eat it with the skin. I was skeptical. I did try it, and they were sweet and tart at the same time. The skin had so much flavor and it was not bitter at all like the other citrus. They are like grape tomatoes, and you can simply pop them in the mouth! Who knew this little fruit would have so much flavor!? So I went to Home Depot and got myself a Kumquat plant and planted it in the yard. Well, it’s been a year, I see tiny blooms, very tiny blooms, but I don’t think I will get any fruit really till next year. I will be patient! My lemon tree took 3 years to bear fruit, and now it has gone wild! There are atleast a 100 lemons at any given point in time, ofcourse all are not ripe lol, but it is so fun to see the fruit on the tree and to get to use it whenever you want to without visiting the grocery store!
Did you know you can puree kumquats as is with skin and all, and it makes an amazing mixture to add to your baked goods? Am thinking kumquat madeleines, financiers, cakes… yum! I had a bundt cake in mind because I wanted the pretty shape, and peaks on which I could perch the pretty candied kumquats. The puree itself is so flavorful. I blended it in my high speed blender, and the fragrance was just wonderful. I am making kumquat ice cream next because I just know how wonderful it will be!
The candied kumquats are very easy to make. I added fresh ginger and a cinnamon stick to mine, and the flavor is phenomenal and addictive! You could use the simple syrup to make cocktails and add candied kumquat to it. Possibilities are endless! I used candied ginger, and spices like ground ginger and ground cinnamon, keeping with the theme from the candied kumquats, into the bundt cake. I used almond flour in the bundt, because I love adding almond flour to my baked goods. It adds a depth of flavor that is simply wonderful. The icing on the bundt also has pureed kumquat, and the icing is phenomenal. My kids were licking it off the whisk! LOL.
I added candied kumquat as decoration and it makes it look like tiny jewels on the top. Very happy with the way this bundt turned out, and hence sharing the recipe here. If you do make this, please do not forget to tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a message on this blog post!
In other news, I finally saw cherry blossoms on the trees around the neighborhood! I was so excited to see the pretty pink flowers. I am inspired to make cherry blossom macs! I have a flavor profile in mind, and I am excited to make them now!
Wishing you all a wonderful week. Spring is coming soon!
XO
Amisha
Ingredients
Candied Kumquats:
- 8oz kumquats
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
Kumquat Puree:
- 8 oz kumquats, washed and dried
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Kumquat and Candied Ginger Bundt Cake:
- 2 ½ cups (360gms) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (62gms) almond flour
- 2 tsp (6gms) baking powder
- 2 tsp (4gms) ground ginger
- 1 tsp (2gms) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (6gms) table salt
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup/2 sticks (230gms) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (316gms) granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk at room temperature
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (125gms) kumquat puree(simply puree 8 oz kumquat in a high speed blender)
- ½ cup candied ginger( weight depends upon the kind you get)
Lemon Glaze:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup (105gms) granulated sugar
Kumquat Icing:
- ½ cup (110gms) kumquat puree
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups (220gms) confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
Candied Kumquats:
- Cut the ends of the kumquats slightly. Cut the remaining into 4 slices. Remove any seeds. Make sure to collect all the juice in a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, on medium heat, put the water and sugar, and let it dissolve, for about 2 minutes. Now add in the ginger, cinnamon stick and kumquat, and let it boil for about 5-7 minutes until the kumquat is translucent. Switch off the gas, and put gently remove the slices into a glass jar, with a spoon. Drain the remaining liquid into a small bowl, to discard the ginger and cinnamon. Add the sugary syrup into the glass jar. Cover and keep it refrigerated for about 3 weeks.
Kumquat Puree:
- Puree the kumquats and sugar in a high speed blender, until absolutely smooth. Remove and refrigerate for a week.
Kumquat and Candied Ginger Bundt Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon. Whisk it to blend.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add in the butter and sugar. Start whisking at medium speed, increase slowly to high speed. Beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Scrap the sides as you go along with one egg a time, to get the butter off the bottom of the bowl. Add in the kumquat puree and mix again to blend. Add in the vanilla extract and mix again. Slowly add in the flour mixture and milk, alternating both of them in 3 iterations, ending with the flour. Fold in the candied ginger.
- Use non-stick spray on a 10 cup bundt cake pan. Make sure that you spray it in all the nooks and crannies. Add in the batter and smoothen out the top.
- Put it into the oven for 60 minutes. Use a tooth pick to make sure that it is baked all the way through. At that point remove the bundt pan gently, not to burn yourself. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- Gently turn it onto a wire rack on a baking pan, to let it completely cool. While the cake is hot, once out of the pan, poke holes with a tooth pick all around the cake gently and add the lemon glaze(recipe below) so that it seeps into the bundt to make it moist.
- Once completely cool, gently drizzle the kumquat icing(recipe below) all around the bundt cake, depending upon the shape of the bundt. It might need a second coat depending upon how much icing it on the cake. I prefer a thicker icing, so that it drips really slowly around the bundt and there is a thick layer when you take a bite.
- Let the candied kumqats rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Decorate all around with the candied kumqats. The cake is ready to be sliced and eaten with some tea!
Lemon Glaze:
- In a small saucepan, on low heat, combine the lemon juice and sugar. Let the sugar dissolve for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the stove, let cool.
Kumquat Icing:
- In a medium bowl, add the sifted confectioner’s sugar. Add in the kumquat puree and lemon juice. Whisk until the consistency is smooth. Make sure the icing is NOT runny. If it is, add in more confectioner’s sugar ¼ cup at a time, until it reaches a desired consistency.
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