Fancy a taste?
Quince Cake with Toasted Flaked Almonds & Quince Jelly Glaze
A moist cake with tender pieces of quince, toasted almonds and a glossy quince jelly glaze. A little patience transforms this rather stubborn fruit into something delicious. Makes 1 cake in a 25 cm loaf tin Preparation: approximately 30 minutes Cooling: allow time for the cooked quince and baked cake to cool Cooking: 10–20 minutes for the quince, plus 60–70 minutes baking Take the butter out of the fridge in advance. It should be very soft and creamy, but not melted
Ingredients
For the quince
- 2–3 large quinces, yielding approximately 500 g peeled and cored fruit
- 200 ml water
- 100 g sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract or a strip of lemon zest
- A few drops of lemon juice to prevent browning
For the cake
- 150 g butter, softened at room temperature, not melted
- 150 g sugar
- 1 sachet vanilla sugar
- 2 eggs
- 200 g plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 150 g Greek yoghurt
- A pinch of salt
- The cooked quince pieces, drained and cooled
For the glaze and finishing
- 3–4 tbsp quince jelly
- 1–2 tbsp reserved quince cooking liquid or lemon juice
- A handful of flaked almonds, lightly toasted
BEFORE YOU START
Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so that it softens at room temperature.it really has to be creamy soft
Prepare the quince first and let it cool before adding it to the cake batter. Reserve some of its cooking liquid for the glaze.
Method
Prepare the quince
Peel and core the quinces, then cut the flesh into approximately 1 cm cubes. Toss with a few drops of lemon juice to help prevent browning.
Bring the water, sugar and your chosen vanilla or lemon zest to the boil. Add the quince pieces and simmer gently for 10–20 minutes, until slightly translucent and just tender.
Check regularly: some quinces soften quickly. Take them off the heat before they start falling apart.
Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and leave to cool.
Prepare the tin and oven
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan or 175°C conventional.
Grease a 25 cm loaf tin and dust lightly with flour.
Make the batter
Beat the softened butter, sugar and vanilla sugar together for 3–5 minutes, until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Gently fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the Greek yoghurt.
Carefully fold in the drained, cooled quince pieces.
Bake
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for 60–70 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for at least 15 minutes, then carefully turn out onto a wire rack.
Glaze and finish
Gently warm the quince jelly with 1–2 tablespoons of reserved cooking liquid or lemon juice until fluid. If you don’t have quince jelly, apricot jam works well too. Warm it with a little water and, if needed, strain it for a smooth glaze.
Brush over the cake while it is still warm, then immediately scatter with the lightly toasted flaked almonds.
Leave to cool further and allow the glaze to set.
