Cumquat Marmalade, Ginger and Oat slice

This slice incorporates the nostalgic flavours of ANZAC biscuits, Grandma's Cumquat marmalade, and the warmth of ginger spice, into one delicious layer of biscuit. This is  a great one for the weekend. Think, breakfast, morning tea, or afternoon tea or take it into work to win a few extra brownie points.

Before I hear you say but I don't have any Cumquat marmalade, let me assure you that any citrus marmalade will work here, orange, or a combo of grapefruit, lime and orange, use any of them. There are plenty of marmalade combinations at your disposal.

"Cumquat marmalade is the best of all breakfast preserves, with a scented sharpness and a golden glow all of its own. " Stephanie Alexander, 1996. 

This is a photo from a batch of my Cumquat Marmalade taken way back in 2021, however I didn't use my marmalade to make this slice. I had half a jar of Lulu's Cumquat marmalade in my refrigerator and decided to use that. Marmalade isn't meant to just be eaten on toast or with scones.

 I have a few friends who are excellent marmalade makers, and they really enjoy it. If I am being truthful, I enjoy making jams, but I seem to lean more towards making chutneys, pickles and relishes. However my marmalade and jam making friends are very talented and committed to the cause. Whether it be a delicious combination of Grapefruit, Orange and Tangello, or Orange, Mandarin and Grapefruit, (you know who you are P&J), or the quintessential Cumquat Marmalade, I feel so fortunate to have a few jars of these in my pantry. 

I first saw a recipe for Orange Marmalade ANZAC slice, on my blogging friend Sammie's blog, and my recipe uses similar concepts. Both are based on the original iconic ANZAC biscuit recipe, we don't tend to deviate away from that too much, but with a few different elements added along the way, it becomes a delicious slice.

Let's Bake:

Ingredients:

Preheat your oven to 180 deg C (160 deg C fan-forced)

Let's bake:

Grease one 19 cm x 29 cm slice pan, and line with baking paper.

Makes 24 pieces, depending on the size that you cut them of course. 

Ingredients:

1 cup (90 g) traditional rolled oats, definitely not quick cooking oats

1 1/2 cups (210 g) plain flour, sifted

1 cup (230 g) brown sugar

1 cup (85 g) desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1/2 cup (125g) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 cup (160 g) warmed Cumquat Marmalade

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons ginger spice

Lemon icing (optional)

2 cups icing sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon, have extra, just in case

Method:

Melt the butter over a low heat in a small saucepan and then add the syrup and water.

Add the bicarbonate of soda to the melted butter and syrup and stir. It will froth up

Remove from heat.

Combine the rolled oats, sifted flour, sugar, and coconut together in a large separate bowl. Add the frothy syrup and butter mixture to the dry ingredients while still warm. Mix well until integrated.

Press two thirds of the mixture into the baking tin and spread the warmed marmalade onto the surface.

Tip the remaining oat mixture on top of the marmalade and spread loosely across the top of the slice. 

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the slice is firm and lightly browned.

Remove your slice from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool before slicing into squares.

Drizzle with some lemon icing as a finishing touch before slicing into squares. I used a piping bag and nozzle. The icing is optional, as the enjoyment of the slice is not dependant on the icing, however it gives the slice a hint of lovely lemony flavour. 

My slice might have just been a touch too warm before I iced it, because Mr. HRK just couldn't wait to try it. Still tasted amazing though.

Cook's notes and backstory:

• Ginger marmalade, available for purchase from supermarkets, can also be used for this slice, removing the need to add ginger spice to the recipe. However, if you absolutely adore ginger like we do, I would still add a teaspoon of ginger to the ingredients.
• If you don't have a very sweet tooth, and are trying to cut down on sugar, you can very easily halve the amount of brown sugar in this recipe, without any loss of enjoyment.
• The flavour of the cumquat fruit is quite complex, bitter, but sweet and scented all at once, however they mostly aren't suitable for eating uncooked. Some more recent varieties of cumquat are edible. Unlike other edible citrus fruits which can be eaten fresh, such as grapefruit and oranges, the cumquat is quite unique in this regard. It is highly regarded among marmalade makers. 
• We are fortunate to have a Cumquat Tree growing in our backyard, that yields an oval shaped cumquat. The marmalade that I made back in 2021 originated from that tree. It suffered a setback last year, when our neighbours at the back of our house allowed a very aggressive and intrusive tree (non-native) to grow close to our fence line. It's roots spread  into our yard, and consequently, our Cumquat tree wasn't happy as a result. The culprit tree is now gone, due to a little bit of gentle negotiation with those neighbours. Our tree seems to be recovering, fingers crossed.
• If you don't have a Cumquat tree but would love to make some marmalade, cumquats can often be found here at the local Farmer's Markets during Citrus season, the beginning of Winter.
• I've tried freezing cumquats, when I had too many on hand, but wasn't thrilled with the result.
• Cumquats need to be picked when ripe, not left on the tree for long,  and used as soon as possible after being harvested. 
• The delicious flavours of this slice become even more evident as it cools.

This slice isn't just about Cumquats, even though I have been waxing lyrical about them. If you love an oaty ANZAC biscuit, then you will love this slice. 

This recipe is also a shout out to ardent marmalade and jam makers, because I know there is a strong chance you have quite a few jars in your pantry, waiting to be opened and used. Am I right? 

A few have disappeared, eaten by Mr. Nobody and a visitor

Warm wishes

Pauline