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Tannaz’s Orange Almond Cake With Candied Kumquats

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A Vietnamese-inspired and deliciously mashy addition to any Persian haftsin table: a flourless orange almond cake good for celebrating Nowruz, Passover, Tet, or Tuesday afternoon.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Jewish, Mash-Up, Persian, Vietnamese
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Cake

  • 2 oranges I used one blood orange, one navel
  • 6-10 kumquats
  • 5 eggs separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp orange blossom water
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups almond meal

Ingredients for Candied Kumquats

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Pinch ground saffron
  • 2 cups kumquats sliced into thick rounds, seeds removed

Instructions

For the Cake

  • Wash the oranges and kumquats, and boil them whole in a pot of water for about 1 1/2 hours, or until they are very soft.
  • Once they’re cool enough to touch, cut them open and remove seeds, and puree in a food processor.
  • Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks.
  • In another large bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, orange mixture, orange blossom water, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add almond meal, and stir to combine.
  • Gently fold egg whites into batter.
  • Oil bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with more almond meal.
  • Pour batter into pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

For the Candied Kumquats

  • While the cake bakes, prepare the kumquats: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and saffron and bring to a boil.
  • Add kumquats, bring back to a boil, then lower heat to medium.
  • Simmer until kumquats are barely translucent, about 7 minutes.

To serve, use a slotted spoon to pour kumquats over cake, then a non-slotted spoon to pour the remaining glaze over cake and kumquats. Enjoy!