February 6, 2020

Vegan Kumquat Cake with Chocolate Ganache

What’s better than chocolate and orange? Chocolate and kumquat, of course! This vegan kumquat cake with a chocolate ganache has all the crusty delicious goodness of a bundt cake, with a soft kumquat cake center, and a chocolate kumquat chocolate ganache dripping down the sides, topped with whole fresh bursts of bright kumquat. This show stopping cake perfectly highlights the small winter citrus that is the kumquat.

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Afternoon Bloggers Tea

There are definite downsides of working from home- it’s quiet and lonely, I’m constantly cold (which is a downside of working from my home), and my work day never really officially ends- but there a lots of benefits too. One of my favorite work from home perks is my afternoon tea. Not every afternoon, but every afternoon after I’ve made a delicious sweet treat, I’ve taken to giving myself a tea break. Around 4pm, hands cramped and chilly from typing in my silent cold room, I put on a pot of water, make a mug of Earl Gray tea, and cut a slice of kumquat cake. Or grab a cookie, or a scone, or whatever it is I’ve made. Warm tea, and delightful treat, warmth spreads through my body down to my chilly finger tips. It’s still quiet, but instead of feeling isolated, it starts to feel calm.

Looking for Afternoon Tea Recipes? Try one of these!

My Very First Bundt Cake

Did you know I’ve actually never made a Bundt cake before? Bundt cakes always remind me of that scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, when the mom says “There’s a hole in this cake!” and politely fills it with a potted plant before serving. Bundt cakes refer to the type of pan use- often grooved and decorated, but always with a hole in the middle. This allows more edge bits, with the delightful crusty outside, and less of not as interesting middle- the fluted edges are perfect for drizzling a glaze or ganache down the edges. And, although this was my first bundt cake, I am totally sold. They’re perfect and delicious, and I love the doubled edge quantity. I’m going to be making a lot more bundt cakes in the future.

Making this Kumquat Cake

This cake all starts with the kumquat puree. You need two cups of puree, which is about equal to one pound of fresh kumquats. If you’re the patient sort, you can pick out the seeds for a sweeter, smoother puree, but honestly when I developed this recipe I didn’t have the patience for that. I just stuck them in the food processor, walked away, and came back a few minutes later to what I affectionately call “good enough” kumquat puree. The puree is added to the cake batter, but make sure you reserve some whole kumquats to put on top- not only are they beautiful, but they add an amazing fresh zing when you’re eating the cake.

The cake is pretty simple- just mix it up, put it in a well-greased bundt pan, and bake it. It will likely take about an hour to cook, and once that’s done you’ll want it to cool completely before topping it with a chocolate ganache.

I’ve made a few recipes using chocolate ganache (my chocolate vegan wedding cake and these truffles), as it’s a simple way for that delicious and elegant, melt in your mouth chocolate amazingness. This time I added a little bit of kumquat marmalade to the ganache. I really recommend it- having that kumquat in every element of the dessert really brought it all together, and didn’t let the chocolate overpower the kumquat. Plus, you’ll have a batch of marmalade, which is perhaps the most amazing celebration of kumquats. Make the ganache and let it cool a little, then drizzle over the cake. Top with whole or cut in half kumquats, sticking them in the ganache and letting it cool to harden in the fridge (Tip- if you’re going to eat the cake fairly quickly, chopping some of the kumquats in half is a pretty effect, but if you’re going to consume it more slowly leave them whole as they will last longer).