Kumquats are an adorable, gem-like fruit that resembles an orange – if an orange and an olive had a love child. The tiny fruits are about the size of a large olive, and the peel is edible – in fact, in most species the peel has the sweet flavor while the meat of the fruit is sour and tangy! Because citrus is typically a cold-weather fruit, and it’s winter up here in the States, I’ve been having major cake envy over the orange and citrus-inspired cakes I’ve been seeing on Instagram. So I decided to make this variation of an Italian citrus olive oil cake using the kumquats I got in my local produce delivery a little while back.
Kumquat Olive Oil Cake with Coconut Vanilla Glaze
Make 8-12 servings
Cake
olive oil, for oiling the pan
2 cups kumquats, very thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer for these)
½ c coconut flour
¼ c arrowroot starch
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
2 tbsp applesauce
½ c olive oil
⅓ c honey syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 small orange, 1-2 tsp
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp lemon juice
Glaze
3/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp powdered vanilla bean
Prepare the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil an 8-inch cake pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper with more oil (to keep the fruit from sticking), and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine the coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, applesauce, olive oil, honey, vanilla, orange zest, and lemon juice.
- Add the coconut flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until combined. The batter will be lumpy, so let it sit for a few minutes while you do the next step.
- Arrange the sliced kumquats in an even layer in the prepared cake pan. Create a second layer filling in the gaps of the first layer, so the bottom of the pan is completely covered in fruit.
- Give the batter another good stir to get the lumps out and gently pour the batter over the kumquat slices, trying not to disturb them
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, until the edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool a few minutes in the pan before running a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Turn the cake onto a wire rack to finish cooling, then gently transfer to a plate to slice and serve.
Prepare the glaze:
- While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze.
- Combine the arrowroot starch and 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into a small bowl and whisk to make a slurry.
- Heat the remaining coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the slurry to the coconut milk in the saucepan and whisk constantly until the glaze begins to thicken.
- When the glaze begins to thicken remove it from the heat and continue to whisk it another 2-3 minutes.
- Allow the glaze to cool before spooning it over the cake to serve. Enjoy!
