This season, pick a few extra kumquats to make this simple, tender cake.
Abundant in Louisiana between November and January, these tiny, flavor-packed citrus fruits are easy to overlook when you’ve got other, larger players to choose from. But if you happen to have a kumquat tree in your yard, this cake will give you good reason to snag a few more from the branches. It’s delicious when served slightly warm or even at room temperature, and that distinctive kumquat flavor—sweet, tart, and tangy—is right at home alongside whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Kumquat Cake
Makes 1 (10-cup) bundt cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup unpeeled kumquats, halved and seeded
- ⅔ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Sweetened whipped cream, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, process kumquats and milk until almost puréed, 1 to 2 minutes. (There should still be some small pieces remaining.)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, and oil at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with kumquat mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition.
- Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour. Spread batter into prepared pan, smoothing with an offset spatula as needed. Firmly tap pan on a kitchen towel-lined counter several times to settle batter.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes, covering with foil halfway through baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack, and let cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve with whipped cream. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
