THE QUINCE POACH
2½ c caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
6 cardamon seeds smashed
6 whole star anise
1 bay leaf
Half red chilli
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp salt
5 medium quinces peeled and quartered
Peelings and seeds of 2 quinces
THE CARAMEL
⅔ c brown sugar
½ c butter
1 inch freshly grated ginger
EXTRA FRUIT
1 tin of guavas - seeds scooped out
¾ c frozen blueberries
THE CAKE
1 c butter (softened)
1 c granulated sugar
4 eggs
1¾ c white flour
¼ c whole almond meal
2 tsp baking powder
Zest of 2 lemons and juice of 1
1 c sour cream
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
FIRSTLY
Put all quince poaching ingredients in a pot, cover with a circle of grease proof paper and simmer for 1 and half hours until quinces are soft and pink. Remove quince quarters from pan and reduce remaining liquid by half. You will strain this and use later on to serve.
THEN
Melt butter, brown sugar and fresh grated ginger in your Ironclad pan. Simmer for 30 seconds on low, stirring all the time. Do not burn!
On top of this caramel arrange poached quinces around the outside of the pan. Fill the middle ring in with canned guavas. Add left over guava juice to reducing quince syrup. Fill all gaps with frozen blueberries or raspberries.
FINALLY
Preheat oven to 175ºC.
Beat butter and sugar together till pale in colour.
Add eggs and beat lightly till combined.
Fold in flour, almond meal and baking powder followed by sour cream and lemon zest.
Finally add baking soda and salt dissolved in lemon juice and stir gently to combine.
Spoon cake batter over the top of cooled fruit in the Ironclad Pan.
Turn oven down to 160ºC and cook for 30 – 35 minutes till a skewer comes out clean. *** It might over flow a bit so put a larger dish underneath to catch any drips.
Release cake around the edges of the pan. Leave to cool for 20 minutes and allow cake to settle.
Gently heat pan on very low heat on stove top for 2 – 3 mins. This will release the caramelised fruit from the bottom of the pan and make it possible to flip it.
Flip onto serving dish – carefully.
Serve with extra quince syrup with lashings of creamy stuff.
