Already made a batch of kumquat marmalade this season? Why not make a kumquat cake – with almonds and a touch of whisky. Lots of eggs in this one: don’t forget you can order delicious fresh organic eggs as an extra for your veg box. Recipe from Cafe Cat.

Kumquat and almond cake
Ingredients
- FOR THE CAKE:
- 300g kumquats (or 2 oranges)
- 2 cups ground almonds
- 125g butter at room temperature
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 5 eggs - ideally organic
- ½ cup self-raising flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- FOR THE SYRUP:
- 2 tbsp kumquat juice (or orange juice)
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp whisky (optional)
- TO SERVE: Icing sugar
Method
- Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line the base of a 22cm cake pan with baking paper and grease the sides.
- Place kumquats in a pan and cover with water. Simmer for 10 mins or until soft then cool. If using oranges they will take 20-30 mins - Cut in half and remove seeds.
- If you're not going to use a food processor to mix the cake, prep the cooled kumquats by whizzing them in a blender.
- In a food processor, mix all the cake ingredients, including the kumquats, until smooth. You can mix by hand if you wish: start by creaming the sugar and butter together then add the whisked eggs, then kumquats, then the flour, baking powder and almonds.
- Tip mixture into cake pan and bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Ovens vary so start checking after 45 mins.
- Meanwhile make the syrup – place syrup ingredients in a small pan and simmer for 5 mins.
- When cake comes out of the oven, make holes over the top of the cake with a metal skewer and spoon the warm syrup over as soon as it comes out of the oven. The syrup will be absorbed.
- Serve dusted with icing sugar, either warm or at room temperature, with a dollop of thick cream.