Quince cake with cream cheese frosting

Makes a 20cm round cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:
175g plain flour
100g caster sugar
100g brown sugar
3/4 tsp. bi-carb soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
120ml Extra virgin olive oil
60g melted butter
2 eggs
2 Tsp. vanilla extract
1 large quince (peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater yielding about 200g quince pulp)
80g walnut halves and pieces

For the frosting:
200g cream cheese (Philadelphia preferred), room temp
50g salted butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt), room temperature
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
175g icing sugar, sifted

For the ginger poached quince:
1 large quince, peeled and cut in half (seeds left in)
2 thick slices fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1.5 cup water

Method:

Preheat your oven to 175C conventional (155C fan-forced).

Brush your 20cm round baking tin with soft butter or oil spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugars, bi-carb, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and whisk to combine. In a measuring jug combine the melted butter, olive oil, vanilla and eggs and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until now lumps appear. Switch to a spatula or wooden spoon and add in the quince and walnuts and stir through to evenly distribute. Pour into your prepared tin and bake for 45-55 minutes until a cake tester tested in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin and placing on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.

To poach the quince, add it and the remaining ingredients in a small pot and place a lid ajar on the pot. If the liquid does not coat the quince, add enough water so it covers the quince. Bring to a simmer and slowly simmer for about 2 hours or until the desired colour is achieved. Top up with more water as needed to keep it from burning but know its ok if the liquid dips below the quince as it cooks, you just don’t want it to burn. Scoop out the quince and discard the ginger. Allow the quince to cool completely. Reduce the liquid down to a syrup by continuing to cook over medium heat, then remove and cool down as well. When the quince is cool enough to handle, use a small pairing knife to cut the core out and cut into slices, set aside.

To make the frosting use egg beaters or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the room temperature butter and cream cheese and beat until slightly airy and totally smooth about 2-3 minutes. Add in the vanilla, pinch of salt and then sifted icing sugar and turn the speed to low until the sugar is incorporated and then turn the speed up again to whip it together. Set aside.

To assemble, spoon the frosting onto the top of the cake and garnish with the quince slices. Finally drizzle some of that syrup over everything reserving any excess syrup to glaze a galette or a tart in the future. The syrup will hold indefinitely in the fridge.