Poached quince and chestnut cake
SERVES 12 PREP and COOK TIME 4 HOURS
2 medium (700g) quinces, peeled, quartered, cored
2 cups (440g) caster sugar
½ cup (125ml) sweet marsala 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
1 litre (4 cups) water
1¼ cups (185g) self-raising flour
100g ground almonds (almond meal) ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mixed spice
250g butter, softened
1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar 1 cup (220g) unsweetened chestnut purée 3 eggs
¼ cup (60ml) milk
CRUMBLE TOPPING
⅓ cup (50g) plain flour
⅓ cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar ⅔ cup (80g) finely chopped walnuts 75g butter, chopped 1 Place the quince, caster sugar, marsala, cinnamon, vanilla bean and the water in a large saucepan over high heat; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours or until the quince is tender and syrup has reduced. Using a slotted spoon, transfer quince into a medium bowl; cool. Reserve syrup and cinnamon. Discard the vanilla bean. Cut quince quarters in half.
2 CRUMBLE TOPPING: Combine the flour, sugar and walnuts in a small bowl. Rub in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
3 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a deep 24cm springform pan; line the base with baking paper.
4 Push the flour, almond, baking powder and mixed spice through a fine sieve into a bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add chestnut purée; beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Fold in flour mixture and milk until combined. Spread mixture into the pan; arrange 12 quince wedges in a circular pattern, then place 4 wedges in the centre. Sprinkle the crumble over the quince.
5 Bake cake for 1¼ hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cooled, drizzled with reserved syrup and topped with cinnamon.
Not suitable to freeze or microwave.