Quince Cake: Riffing on an Old Standard

My mother's apple cake is rather perfect in its own right. There is really no need to improve on the recipe, even though over the years, acquaintances have tried to turn it into fancier versions of itself. But really, it is all so unnecessary. In its current iteration, it is simple, yet elegant, and no one would ever know that is is a quintessential dump and stir cake. To be honest, there is no shame in a good 'dump and stir.' They may not have the complexity of fine French pâtisserie, but therein lies their beauty: no need for difficult techniques, anyone, including novice bakers, can turn out beautiful results.



'So why the need for another version?' you may ask. I ended the original 2010 post with possible variations on the theme, and while I am sure that a few readers may have tried going off-piste, I get the feeling that many more hesitated to venture away from the recipe as it was posted. Hence today's version - and quinces happen to be in season at the moment. I love a good quince, and having managed to get my hands on a couple, I wanted to feature them in something special. I already have a few jars of velvety quince jam squirrelled away, so I didn't want to make more, and cake is always welcome.



If you've never had quinces, they look like gnarly pears on steroids covered in a fine fuzz, and must be eaten cooked. Although the raw flesh is a pale, golden colour, it usually cooks up to a lovely ruddy pink, although I've noticed that fuzzless quinces tend to remain pale. The flavour is hard to describe: fruity like a ripe pear, jammy like cooked plums, all wrapped up in a silky texture. If you are unable to find quinces, you can substitute with 3 rock-hard pears (Boscs would be great) and a handful of chopped prunes.

Quince and Pumpkin Seed Cake
Fills one 20cm/ 8" round pie dish

2 large eggs
¼ cup/ 60g olive oil
1 cup/ 230g light brown sugar
1cup/ 145g all-purpose flour
2 tsp/ 6g baking powder 
1 tsp/ 3g ground cinnamon

a few gratings of nutmeg, or 2 pinches ground nutmeg 
2 medium quinces, about 3 cups peeled and chopped
½ cup/ 80g pumpkin seeds, optional

If you are using a metal dish, you will need to oil or butter the dish and flour it. If you are using a pyrex or stoneware dish, no preparation is necessary.

Pre-heat oven to 325'F/ 175'C.
Peel, quarter and core the quinces. Chop into 5mm/¼" slices. Stir in the brown sugar, and allow to sit until the quinces render some juice, about 20 minutes: this softens the fruits, and ensures that they will cook through.
Once the fruits are swimming in their juices, add the other ingredients, and thoroughly mix together.
Pour batter in baking dish, pop in the oven.
Bake about an hour, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean.
Let cake cool down a bit before serving (if you can resist its yummy aroma!)
Serve as is, or with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

This version of the recipe does not result in a crisp top, however, it is a very moist cake that easily keeps several days at room temperature and freezes well for another day.

Bon App'!