Quince Cake

5 from 1 vote

Moist, fruity and fragrant, this quince cake is a true autumnal delight. It's not a light sponge, but its soft melt-in-the-mouth texture more than makes up for that. The fruit is poached first, with some puréed into the batter and a few syrupy slices arranged on top.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: autumn, cake, fruit cake, quince

Servings: slices

Calories: 347kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

Ingredients

Poached Quinces

3 quince weighing about 600g in total
100 g golden caster sugar
250 ml water
1 organic lemon peel & juice
3 cardamom pods roughly crushed to open
20 g unsalted butter
1 whole clove

Cake

125 g unsalted butter softened
125 g golden caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cloves
100 g light muscovado sugar
4 medium eggs
200 g wholemeal spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Poached Quinces

In a large pan, dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat.
100 g golden caster sugar, 250 ml water
Pare the lemon, ensuring there's no pith attached and add the peel to the water along with the juice. Add the clove and cardamom pods.
1 organic lemon, 3 cardamom pods, 1 whole clove
Using a strong sharp knife, quarter the quinces. There's no need to peel them or remove the cores at this stage. As soon as you've cut them slip them into the syrup; they brown in the air almost instantaneously.
3 quince
Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a simmer. Allow the quinces to cook gently until a knife slips easily through the skin and into the flesh. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
Drain the quinces in a colander, making sure you capture all of the liquid.
When the quinces are cool enough to handle, remove the cores. You can also scrape off the skin if you like - it comes off quite easily.
Cut four of the quince quarters into thin slices and reserve for the cake top. Place the rest in a jug and use a stick blender to purée them.
Place the liquid back in the pan, add the butter and bring it back to the boil. With the lid off, reduce it down to about half or until it has a syrupy consistency. Take off the heat.
20 g unsalted butter

Cake

In a large bowl, cream the butter together with the sugars and spice. A wooden spoon is best for this, although you can use an electric mixer if you prefer. Keep going until the mixture is pale in colour and fluffy in texture.
125 g unsalted butter, 125 g golden caster sugar, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 100 g light muscovado sugar
Beat in the eggs, one by one.
4 medium eggs
Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir until just combined.
200 g wholemeal spelt flour, 2 tsp baking powder
Stir in the quince purée until just combined.
Set the oven to 170℃ (150℃ fan, 338℉, Gas 3).
Lightly butter a 20 cm (8-inch) deep round cake tin. One with a loose bottom will make it easier to remove later. Scrape the batter into the tin and level the top with a palette knife or back of a spoon.
Lay the quince slices over the batter, then generously brush them with some of the syrup.
Place the cake in the middle part of the oven and bake for one hour or until the cake is well risen and firm to the touch. It's always best to check by inserting a skewer into the middle - it should come away more or less clean. If you see wet dough, you'll need to cook the cake for a further five to ten minutes. If the top looks like it's burning, place a piece of foil or baking paper over the top to protect it.
Transfer to a wire rack and generously brush more syrup over the top of the whole cake. Allow it to cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin. Leave on the rack to cool completely before serving.
Delicious with clotted cream or crème fraîche.

Notes

Pour any leftover syrup into a sterilised jar and use to eat with ice cream, porridge, rice pudding or yoghurt. It might even set and then you have quince jelly. It keeps for ages.

Will keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition