QUINCE STREUSEL GINGER CAKE

This lovely cake is even more delightful served with mascarpone that has been lightly sweetened with quince poaching syrup or ginger syrup. Either syrup can also be brushed over the cake before serving, for a shiny glaze.

Streusel: 1 cup almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted

and chopped

2 tablespoons plain flour

½ cup packed brown sugar 3

25g butter, melted Cake:

1½ cups plain flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt

125g butter

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup natural yoghurt 3 poached quinces, sliced

Heat oven to 175°C. Line a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper. Combine streusel ingredients and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger and salt.

In a large bowl, use electric beaters to cream butter and sugar.

Add eggs one at a time and the vanilla, beating well after each addition.

Fold in half the sifted dry ingredients then the yoghurt then the remaining sifted ingredients.

Smooth half the batter in the prepared tin and arrange half the quince slices on top. Sprinkle with half the streusel. Repeat the layers with remaining batter, quince slices and streusel.

Bake 55 minutes; allow cake to cool in the tin. Makes 1 x 23cm cake