Pamela Black’s St Patrick’s Day Cake

175g butter

175g caster sugar

¼ tsp green food gel colouring

1 tsp of vanilla extract

3 eggs, preferably free range

175g self-raising flour

3 tbsp kumquat compote (see recipe)

300ml cream, stiffly whipped

icing sugar

fresh marigolds to decorate

2 x 18cm cake tins

To make kumquat compote

235g kumquats

200ml water

110g sugar