Nigel Slater Quince Cake

Quinces are an underused, but deliciously fragant and floral UK fruit. If you can’t find them, then pears will do nicely, too.

The spiced cake mixture is made by the boiling method, and will appear more runny than the usual creamed cake mixture, so don’t be surprised that you can pour it into the cake tin. If you use pears instead, cook them for less time than the quinces – just until you can pierce them, effortlessly, with a skewer.

Ingredients:

• water 1.5 litres
• caster sugar 150g
• quinces 3, medium
• lemon 1
• For the cake:
• self-raising flour 250g
• ground cinnamon 1 tsp
• mixed spice ½ tsp
• bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp
• salt a pinch
• golden syrup 200g
• butter 125g
• dark muscovado sugar 125g
• eggs 2
• poaching syrup from the fruit 240ml

You will also need a round cake tin, measuring 24-25cm in diameter

Method:

1. Pour the water into a large saucepan, add the sugar and bring to the boil. Peel the quinces then cut them in half, rubbing the cut sides of each with the halved lemon to prevent them browning. (They are worse than pears for this.) Lower the quinces into the sugar syrup, turn down the heat to a simmer then let the fruit cook for a good 40 minutes or until it is thoroughly tender. Remove the pan from the heat and let the quinces cool a little in their syrup. Line the cake tin with a piece of baking parchment. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.
2. When the quinces are cool enough to handle, take them out one at a time and use a teaspoon to remove the cores. Reserve the syrup. Drain the fruit briefly on a piece of kitchen paper then arrange them, hollow side up, in the base of the cake tin.
3. Sieve together the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt and bicarb. Put the golden syrup, butter and muscovado in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. When the mixture starts to bubble, remove from the heat.
4. Break the eggs into a bowl, pour in 240ml of the quince cooking syrup and beat gently to mix. Remove the butter and sugar mixture from the heat and pour it into the flour and spice, stirring smoothly and firmly with a large metal spoon. Mix in the syrup and egg. The mixture should be glossy and a little runny, not thick and creamy like the usual cake mixture and with no traces of flour.
5. Scoop the mixture over the quinces and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-45 minutes until lightly firm and springy to the touch then remove from the oven and leave to cool before turning out and removing the paper. Serve in thick slices with crème fraîche or cream if you wish.