Method

• Begin by preparing the quince
• Carefully peel and core the quince, roughly dice the quince into even bite sized pieces and cover with water, add the first measure of sugar and cinnamon stick
• Cook until tender (20-30minutes)
• Drain the quince, reserving 3 tablespoons of liquid and set aside
• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Grease the base and sides of a 20-22cm round cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
• Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time
• When the eggs are fully incorporated, fold in the flour and baking powder then add the almonds and lemon zest
• Fold through the drained quince
• Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the sponge is lightly golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean
• While the cake is still hot and still in the tin, insert a skewer all over the surface and drizzle in 1-2 tablespoons of the quince liquid
• Leave in the tin to cool
• To make the icing, mix 1 teaspoon of the quince syrup, a little at a time, into the icing sugar to make a smooth paste
• Remove the cake from the tin and pour the icing on the top thinly
• Serve