Sponge Cake with Candied Kumquats
Ingredients
- For the candied kumquats
- 400 grams Kumquat
- 300 grams sugar
- 100 milliliters white wine
- 200 milliliters water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 Vanilla bean
- For the Sponge Cake
- 3 eggs
- 1 generous pinch salt
- 50 grams sugar
- 1 packet Vanilla sugar
- 50 grams Pastry flour
- 20 grams almonds (ground)
- 1 generous pinch cinnamon
- 2 tsps cornstarch
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 2 Tbsps breadcrumbs
- Filling
- 250 grams Mascarpone
- 200 grams cream cheese
- 200 milliliters Whipped cream
- 150 grams sugar
- 4 Tbsps Almond liqueur
- garnish
- mixed Nut (such as macadamia, peanuts, almonds), coarsely chopped
- 4 Tbsps sugar
Preparation steps
For the candied kumquats, boil white wine, water and sugar. Add kumquats and simmer for about 20 minutes. Halve vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds with a sharp knife. Add vanilla pod and cinnamon stick and place contents in a jar.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (approximately 350°F) convection.
For the sponge cake, separate eggs and beat egg whites stiff with salt. When egg whites begin to solidify, gradually add sugar and vanilla sugar. Next, add yolks one at a time.
Sift flour, almonds, cinnamon, cornstarch and baking powder into egg mixture. Whisk carefully.
Line bottom of a small springform pan (18 to 20 cm, appoximately 7 to 8 inches, in diameter), grease and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Pour batter into pan and smooth. Bake on lower rack for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Let the sponge cake cool in the pan, then remove.
For the garnish, let sugar caramelize in a pot until golden, then immediately remove from heat and mix in nuts. Spread onto parchment paper and leave to cool.
For the filling, mix mascarpone and cream cheese with sugar and almond liqueur until smooth, then stir in whipped cream gently.
Cut the sponge cake twice crosswise cut and fill with 2/3 of cream. Cover around cake with remaining cream.
Last, crumble caramelized nuts over cake and serve with pickled, cold kumquats.
