Quince Cake Recipe: How to Make Spiced Quince Cake
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Feb 10, 2024 • 2 min read
Learn how to make a tender, spiced cake topped with vibrant, rosy pink poached quinces.
Learn From the Best
What Is Quince Cake?
Quince cake is a soft, tender cake featuring a topping of poached quinces. Quince fruit is an edible product of flowering quince trees high in pectin. Like pineapple upside-down cake, quince cake is often made by placing the fruit at the bottom of a pie plate or cake pan, covering with batter, and then inverting the cake after baking.
Most varieties of quince are too astringent to eat raw, so quince recipes almost always include pre-cooked or preserved fruit. Quince preserves are also referred to as “melimelum,” the root of the word “marmalade,” and the Spanish “membrillo,” typically a thick, unstrained quince paste with visible pieces of fruit.
How to Make Quince Cake
Follow these steps to make a quince cake:
- 1. Poach the quince. Raw quinces are quite astringent and take time to soften. To ensure they cook properly without overcooking the cake, poach quince in spiced wine, cider, or water until softened and rosy in color.
- 2. Make the batter. Add spices like cardamom and cinnamon to the batter to complement the quince flavor. Try using half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, buckwheat flour, or rye flour for a nuttier, richer cake.
- 3. Bake the cake. Use a springform pan to ensure you can easily remove the cake after baking. Otherwise, grease a round cake pan with oil or unsalted butter and line with parchment paper.
- 4. Invert the cake. Once the cake cools completely, release the sides of the springform pan and invert the cake onto a serving plate.
Spiced Quince Cake Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
2 hr 45 mincook time
2 hr 15 minIngredients
For the poached quince
For the cake
- 1
In a large saucepan, combine the quinces, brown sugar, granulated sugar, kosher salt, lemon zest, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, star anise, vanilla extract, and 2 cups of water.
- 2
Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat to simmer, occasionally stirring, until the fruit is tender, 60–90 minutes.
- 3
Strain the fruit and set it aside to cool. (You can use the poaching liquid to make cocktails.)
- 4
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the center.
- 5
Grease a 9-inch springform pan with oil.
- 6
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
- 7
Using an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, oil, lemon juice, and vanilla in a separate large bowl.
- 8
Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- 9
Spread the poached quince slices in an even layer at the bottom of the prepared pan.
- 10
Carefully pour the cake batter over the quinces.
- 11
Bake in the oven on the center rack until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- 12
Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
- 13
Invert the cake onto a serving plate and finish cooling at room temperature before serving.
- 14
Serve with vanilla bean whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.