Iron Chef Shellie
 

Kumquat and Rosemary Cake

The simple combination of citrus and rosemary is a sure fire winner. Balancing the kumquat flavour with an orange makes it a little less intense and bitter.

@ironchefshellie

When you cook this at home please tag me too - I love to see when other people give my recipes a go!

Recipes

Kumquat and Rosemary Cake
July 8, 2018
Recipes

Let's Be Friends

Subscribe to my newsletter to stay in touch and be first in line for new recipes and regular subscriber-only treats.

Click to Subscribe

Kumquat and Rosemary Cake

When my friend Vee gave me THE biggest bag of kumquats I ever did see, I wasn’t sure what to do with them. A lot of people on social media suggested the best thing I could do with them was to give them to someone else or throw them in the bin! After making the first version of this cake with 100% kumquats, I could see why. The flavour is very intense, very bitter and not pleasant. So I decided to balance the flavours with one orange and the rest with kumquats based on a recipe by the lovely Julia Ostro. I added the rosemary as I just love the combination of citrus and rosemary. Topped with a simple frosting, it’s a winner warm or at room temperature!  

Kumquat Cake Kumquat CakeKumquat Cake Kumquat Cake Kumquat Cake

Kumquat and Rosemary Cake
Adapted from Julia Ostro’s – Bitter Orange & Fennel Seed Cake

1 orange + kumquats (total weight should be 300g)
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
250ml extra virgin olive oil
250g self raising flour
1 tbs rosemary leaves, finely chopped

Frosting:
250g creme fraiche
50g icing sugar

Candied kumquats, to decorate
Rosemary sprigs, to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan-forced). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.

2. Top and tail the oranges, quarter them and remove any seeds. Cut the kumquats in half and remove any seeds. Blitz in a food processor, skin and all, until you have a puree. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar with the eggs until pale and thick. Add in the olive oil and pureed orange and kumquat mixture, and whisk until combined. Sift over the flour, add the chopped rosemary and gently whisk until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer is clean when tested. Allow to cool slightly before removing from tin.

4. Meanwhile, make the frosting simply by whisking the creme fraiche and icing sugar together until thick. This can be done in an electric mixture, but be sure you don’t over beat it! Set aside until the cake is cool and ready to ice.

5. Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake and top with candied kumquats and rosemary. 

Comments

8 comments on “Kumquat and Rosemary Cake
  1. Stacey

    I just bought a house, which came with an array of edible plants, including a cumquat tree. I had about a kilo of ripe fruit to learn what to do with. I found this cake recipe in my search for what it is you do with cumquats. It is a fabulous recipe. The cake has been a smash with the half a dozen people who have tried it and I’ve passed on the recipe already. It will become an often made treat I think. The rosemary really just ties everything together. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    July 19, 2018 at 11:21 am
  2. Eva

    Thank you for sharing the recipe. I must try.

    Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 7:39 pm
  3. lucyahayden

    I haven’t tried this cake but I like to have it after looking at this awesome images. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    December 11, 2018 at 8:37 pm
  4. Nicole Bernhard

    Delicious Cake, cooked many a time for my Cafe, loved by all.

    Reply
    May 22, 2019 at 10:20 pm
  5. Chris

    I wont to serve this cake in a month, but kumquats are falling off my tree now.
    Can I make the cake now and freeze it?
    Or better freezing the kumquats now and make cake later?

    Reply
    June 27, 2020 at 11:47 am
    • Iron Chef Shellie

      Hi Chris, I would suggest you make the cake and freeze it (un-iced). You can also make a jar of candied kumquats to be ready to decorate when you are ready to serve.

      Reply
      June 27, 2020 at 12:30 pm

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Kumquat and Rosemary Cake

Tags  >>  

Shellie Froidevaux

All content on this site is by Shellie Froidevaux - aka Iron Chef Shellie. Her skills include recipe development, food styling in her kitchen studio, lifestyle and travel photography, restaurant photography on location, styling and shooting social media for her clients and photography workshops for people who really want to change their game :)

Subscribe to the Email List

Find out more about Shellie


© 2024 Shellie Froidevaux
All images and content on this site are protected by copyright. Written permission is required from the author if you wish to use any material anywhere on this website. Please be nice, please respect my creative work and hard work.