Roasted Quince Crumb Cake and a Video

video by Pete Lockhart

I'm so excited to share a new video with you today, along with the recipe for this amazing and very easy crumb cake! It's the kind of recipe I know I will make over and over again, switching out the fruit and maybe adding some warm spices, depending on the season. I saw this cake, which is by the legendary Fergus Henderson, pop-up on the Herriot Grace blog last month and immediately thought to make it with quince. I used the roasted quinces from The Violet Bakery Cookbook, which is one of my very favorite books from this fall's releases. This recipe makes for the most vibrantly hued quince I've ever cooked. They were practically neon!

The cake itself has a very dense crumb and a generous amount of sandy, crumbly topping which is nicely offset by lots of fruit. It would be the perfect thing to serve at a holiday brunch and you could definitely bake it a day ahead of time. 

Quince Crumb Cake

adapted from Fergus Henderson via Herriot Grace

This cake was originally made with sliced rhubarb, but you could substitute an equal quantity of just about any fruit. Nikole made this cake with gorgeous pluots, but I imagine that plums would also be lovely or apples, pears, or even sweetened fresh cranberries. Use your imagination! The original recipe calls for macerating the fruit with a bit of sugar and citrus zest, for this version I just added a bit of the syrup leftover in the quince pan after roasting to mimic the juices that would have accumulated after roasting the fruit.

Cake

one pound roasted quince, cut into 1-inch pieces (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons quince syrup (from the roasting pan)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

scant 2/3 cup sugar or caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/3 cups self rising flour

pinch salt

scant 1/4 cup whole milk

Crumble

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup ground almonds

pinch salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375ºF and line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly stream in the eggs and beat until well combined. Fold in the flour and salt, followed by the milk.

To make the crumble, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and mash the mixture together with your fingertips until well combined and like wet sand.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, top with the quince and their syrup. Spread the crumble over the top evenly.

Bake the cake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60-75 minutes. If the crumble gets too dark before the cake cooks, tent the pan with foil.

Serve warm with creme fraiche, whipped cream or ice cream.

Roasted Quince

from Claire Ptak's Violet Bakery Cookbook

This recipe makes beautiful rosy quince that are quite tart, due to the generous amount of lemon juice. When cooked this way the quince hold their shape quite well making them perfect for all sorts of uses. This book was written with gram measurements in mind so they are listed below, as in the original recipe. 

4 or 5 quince

300g ( 1 1/2 cups) sugar

100g (7 tablespoons) water

200g (3/4 cup) fresh lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

2 or 3 bay leaves

1 vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 355ºF/180ºC.

Peel and core the quince and cut them into wedges by cutting them in half from top to tail and then cutting each half into thirds. Spread the wedges in a single layer in a large, heavy-bottomed gratin or roasting dish. Sprinkle with the sugar and cover with the water and lemon juice. Add the zest, bay leaves, and vanilla bean. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 23-35 minutes or until deep pinky orange and tender to the touch.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 month. 

Hazelnut Cheesecake Tart with Pears and Pomegranate

I have been in Seattle for the last week or so visiting family, brushing up on my "duck, duck, goose" skills and reconnecting with some friends I haven't seen in ages. Seattle is totally living up to it's reputation and it has been 40º and raining for pretty much my entire visit...but it has been such a good excuse to eat lots of soup, cozy up by the fire and go to sleep early every night.  It also has been a wonderful and restful way to ease into the holiday season which feels busier and more hectic every year.

Last year around this time I was deep into writing my book, and didn't have a ton of free time for holiday baking fun and homemade gifts, but I have big plans this year! I might even need to buy myself a new glue gun, watch out Martha Stewart.

First up in my holiday baking spree is this super delicious cheesecake-inspired tart. Cheesecake can be heavy and cloyingly sweet, but in this tart the combination of creamy mascarpone, toasty hazelnuts and sweet-tart pears and pomegranates are a lovely and balanced combination. 

What's on your holiday baking list this year? I am always looking for new ideas!

Hazelnut Cheesecake Tart with Pears and Pomegranate

makes one 10-inch tart

Creamy mascarpone, toasted hazelnuts and sweet-tart pears and pomegranates are a wonderful combination of textures and flavors in this festive holiday tart. This tart can be made in advance, but the crust will soften in the refrigerator as it sits.

Crust

2/3 cup hazelnuts

1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

1 large egg yolk

1-2 tablespoons cold water, as needed

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

8 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

Topping

2 pears, ripe but firm

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, grind the hazelnuts and confectioner’s sugar until they resemble flour. Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and one tablespoon of water. Pulse until the mixture begins to hold together, add a bit more water if necessary. The dough should hold together easily when squeezed. Pour the mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. Wrap the ball with the plastic wrap and press into a disc. Chill for 1 hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Fit the dough into lightly buttered 10-inch tart pan and dock the bottom and sides with a fork. Freeze the shell for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line the tart shell with a lightly greased sheet of foil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown on the edges. Remove the foil and let the shell cool slightly. Turn the oven down to 350ºF.

With an electric mixer whip the cream cheese and mascarpone together until light and fluffy. Whip in the sugar followed by the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and smooth.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake until puffed and set, but still slightly wiggly in the center, 20-25 minutes. Let the tart cool to room temperature then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight before serving.

Roast the pears: Preheat oven to 375­ºF. Peel core and slice the pears into 1/4-inch slices. Toss the pears, sugar, and lemon juice together on a baking sheet and roast until soft and slightly caramelized, 25-30 minutes.

Let the pears cool to room temperature then top the chilled tart with the roasted pears and pomegranate seeds.