Glamorous Kumquat Cake
A dessert combining poached kumquats with chocolate cake, finished with a glossy chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
kumquats
500 g
sugar
150 g
cold water
300 ml
self-raising flour
45 g
caster sugar
150 g
salt
a pinch
eggs
3
plain chocolate
90 g
cocoa powder
1 tbsp
unsalted butter
100 g
plain chocolate (for glaze)
125 g
unsalted butter (for glaze)
30 g
milk (for glaze)
2 tbsp
chocolate leaves (for decoration)
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the kumquats
Wash the kumquats, cut them in half lengthwise, and reserve 8–10 whole for decoration. Place them in a saucepan, add the sugar and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until soft, then set aside.
2
Make the cake batter
Put the flour, sugar, salt, and eggs into a large bowl set over warm (but not boiling) water. Using an electric mixer, beat for 8 minutes. The mixture should be quite thick and form a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted.
3
Combine and bake
Melt the chocolate, cocoa powder, and butter together (see page 30). Add to the egg mixture and beat for several more minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed. Remove from the oven, run a knife around the edge, leave to stand for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
4
Make the glaze
Melt the glaze ingredients together (see page 30). Place the cake on its rack over a plate to catch any drips. Cool the glaze slightly until it thickens, then pour it over the warm cake. Smooth with a palette knife (see page 45) and leave to stand for 10 minutes to set.
5
Decorate and serve
Decorate the top with the chocolate leaves and the reserved whole kumquats. Serve the cake warm, with the remaining kumquats and their syrup alongside.
