Candied Kumquats For Sour Lemon Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour two 6-inch round cake pans. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest.
• Place 2 3/4 cups batter in each prepared cake pan. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly in pans; invert cake onto a wire rack.
• Make the Glaze: In a small bowl, mix together Cognac, lemon juice, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Brush glaze over cake and let cool completely. Serve with candied lemon slices and kumquats.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, cover the fruit with cold water and bring to a boil. Drain. Cover the fruit with cold water and bring to a boil again. Drain and set aside.
• In the same saucepan, combine 1 cup water and the sugar, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pierce each piece of fruit 2 or 3 times with a paring knife. Drop the fruit into the sugar syrup and continue to simmer for 15 minutes for kumquats or 20 minutes for lemons.
• Remove from heat and leave the fruit steeping in the syrup unrefrigerated for 8 hours or overnight.
• Bring the syrup and fruit to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and store in a glass jar. Fruit and syrup will keep in the refrigerator for 3 months.

Steps:

• Cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside a small heavy saucepan and set aside. Put kumquats in saucepan with enough cold water to cover and bring just to a boil. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, then return to pan with 1 1/2 cups sugar, water (3/4 cup) , and a pinch of salt. Cover with parchment round and gently simmer until kumquats are tender and translucent, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in syrup.
• Just before serving, strain kumquats through a sieve set over a bowl and let stand 15 minutes (reserve syrup for another use; see note, above). Roll kumquats in remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
• Do Ahead
• Candied kumquats keep in syrup up to 3 months, chilled. Stain before coating with sugar.

Steps:

• Using a needle or a toothpick, prick small holes in kumquats all around; set aside.
• Bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to simmer and add kumquats; let simmer for 2 hours.
• Remove from heat and let stand until cooled to room temperature. Place kumquats and liquid in an airtight container; refrigerate overnight.

Steps:

• For candied kumquats:
• Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add kumquats; reduce heat. Simmer until kumquat slices are translucent, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool kumquats in syrup. Strain kumquats, reserving syrup. Combine kumquats and 1/4 cup syrup in small bowl. Return remaining syrup to same saucepan; boil until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 8 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.
• For crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl; add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until set and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack. Maintain oven temperature.
• Wrap 4 layers of heavy-duty foil tightly around outside of pan with crust to make pan waterproof.
• For filling:
• Combine orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange peel in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill until cool.
• Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, and salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in cooled orange juice mixture. Pour filling into crust; place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
• Bake cake until just set in center, about 1 hour 35 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan; remove foil. Place cake directly in refrigerator and chill overnight. Arrange kumquat slices atop cake, covering completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent cake with foil and refrigerate.
• Remove pan sides; place cake on platter. Cut cake into wedges; drizzle some kumquat syrup over and serve.
• The KUMQUAT SYRUP is perfect with the cake-but don't stop there. It's also yummy drizzled over vanilla or coffee ice cream or in a cup of tea, a glass of club soda, or even a vodka Martini.

Steps:

• Cut kumquats in half crosswise, and remove pits. Place in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain in a sieve, and repeat process three more times.
• Place sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. When all sugar has dissolved, reduce heat to low, and add kumquats. Cover, and cook 40 to 45 minutes, until translucent. Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely in syrup. Candied kumquats can be stored in the syrup in an airtight plastic container up to 3 days.