Name: Quince and pistachio cake
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 3/4 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar; 1/2 cup (125ml) orange juice; 1 cup (250ml) water; 2 cardamom pods, crushed slightly; 3 medium quinces (990g), peeled, cored and sliced; 90 gram (3 ounces) butter, softened; 2 teaspoon grated orange rind; 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar; 3 eggs; 1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour; 1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour; 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); 1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream; 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice; 1/2 cup (75g) coarsely chopped roasted pistachios

Quince and pistachio cake

With hints of cardamom and orange, this rustic cake is delicious for a winter afternoon tea or dessert. Cardamom is one of the world's most expensive spices; it has a distinctive aromatic, sweetly rich flavour and is widely available.

Serves 10

Cook

1H 15M

Ingredients

3/4 cup (110g) caster (superfine) sugar

1/2 cup (125ml) orange juice

1 cup (250ml) water

2 cardamom pods, crushed slightly

3 medium quinces (990g), peeled, cored and sliced

90 gram (3 ounces) butter, softened

2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup (75g) self-raising flour

1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour

1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream

1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice

1/2 cup (75g) coarsely chopped roasted pistachios

Method

1.Combine sugar, juice, the water and cardamom in medium saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Add quince; simmer, uncovered, about 1¼ hours until quince is soft and liquid almost absorbed; cool. Remove cardamom pods.

2.Beat butter, rind and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until lighter in colour. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Stir in sifted flours and soda with combined cream and juice in two batches. Fold in nuts.

3.Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

4.Grease deep 22cm (8½ inch) round cake pan; line base with baking (parchment) paper. Arrange two-thirds of the quince over the base of the pan. Blend remaining quince until smooth. Gently fold quince puree into pistachio cake batter to give a rippled effect. Spread cake batter over quince in cake pan. Bake cake in oven about 1¼ hours.

5.Stand cake in pan 15 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack. Cake can be served hot or at room temperature, with cream, custard or ice-cream.

Try replacing the pistachios with toasted slivered almonds.
Note

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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