An inundation of kumquats!

My friend at work brought a heaving bag of kumquats in and I quickly had to work out what to do with them all before they started going off. I put them in the fridge immediately, then a few days later I got to them. Never keep kumquats out of the fridge, they will go off in a day or two!

I set about preserving a load of them, thanks to garrett, those will be delicious in a few weeks on salads, brightening up greens and maybe some stews.

I then made a big pot of marmalade.

I candied some of them, which was a massive pain, but very pretty.

The lovely molly, of orangette gave me an idea for another cup of them, marmalade cake. It also used up some of the giant stash of almond paste I had in the fridge from christmas.

I deviated so far from her recipe that I thought I'd share! This was such a quick cake to make, had a lovely crumb to it and was a nice change from all the boring chocolate and vanilla combos I've been making for other folks!

If you dont have almond paste, then you can use around 6oz ground almonds, which have been slightly toasted, and an extra 1/2 cup of sugar.

Kumquat Marmalade Cake

1 cup stewed kumquats (chop, remove seeds and heat for a few minutes)

12 oz almond paste

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

3 large eggs, whisked lightly

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Preheat Oven to 350f

Throw the almond paste and kumquats in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add sugar, then turn the processor on and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the eggs and salt, process.

Add the dry ingredients and pulse a few times until combined.

Pour into a lined 9" cake tin and bake for around an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean, check after 45mins.

Serve decorated with candied kumquats on top and whipped cream with a little lemon zest and a touch of sugar.