Limitless Luxe Recipes

METHOD

1. Place the water, golden caster sugar, Tonka beans and 2-3 strips of lemon peel into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat.


2. Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter the quinces, make sure to carefully remove any of the tough bits from around the core. Cut the quarters into 1-2cm thick wedges.


3. Reduce the heat on the poaching liquid to a simmer and add the quince wedges. Cover with a cartouche — this is a circle of baking parchment with a little hole cut out of the middle to allow steam to escape. Allow the quince to simmer over the very lowest heat for about 45 mins or until tender and rosy pink. Set aside to cool completely in the poaching syrup.


4. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.


5. Beat the butter and sugar together in a free-standing electric mixer with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. Add each egg one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed until everything is just combined. Add 2 tbsp of the cooled quince poaching liquid to the mix.


6. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds, grated tonka bean, ground ginger, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on a low speed, add this into the batter in three batches. Finish off by adding the milk and giving it one final mix.


7. Pour the batter into the cake tin and spread into an even layer. Place about half of the quince wedges drained of their syrup on top of the batter — don’t push them in, just place on top. Bake the cake in the oven for 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle for a few seconds comes out clean.


8. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.


9. When you’re ready to serve, toast a handful of flaked almonds in a dry frying pan — watch them carefully as they burn quickly! Scatter half of these over the cake. Cut the cake into thick slices and plate up with a wedge of poached quince, a little drizzle of quince syrup, a dollop of crème fraiche and finish with a sprinkling of toasted flaked almonds.