Gedeckter Quittenkuchen (double-crust quince cake)
Quince cooked down to a thick, fragrant compote first, since it is too hard and astringent to use raw the way an apple can be, sandwiched between two layers of shortcrust. The compote is most of the work here; once it is made, this is a straightforward double-crust bake.
Prep40 min
Cook50 min
Rest60 min
Oven180°C
Servings12
Christoph's double-crust quince cake, treating the compote as the main event since raw quince cannot go into a cake the way an apple can.
Ingredients
Written for a 24 cm round tin
Units
Temperature
Servings
Quince compote
- 900 g quince, peeled, cored, in 2 cm chunks rounded
- 120 g sugar rounded
- 100 ml water rounded
- 15 ml lemon juice rounded
- 3 g ground cinnamon rounded
Pastry
- 400 g flour rounded
- 130 g sugar rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
- 220 g cold butter, cubed rounded
- 2 egg yolks rounded
- 30 ml cold water rounded
- 1 egg, beaten, for glazing rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Combine the quince, sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon in a pot. Cover and simmer gently over low heat, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the quince has fully softened and the mixture has thickened to a thick, jammy compote. Cool completely; it can be made a day ahead.
- Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like coarse crumbs, then work in the egg yolks and water just until a dough forms. Divide into two portions, one slightly larger, wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Roll the larger portion between baking paper to fit a 24 cm springform, pressing it into the base and about 2 cm up the sides.
- Spread the cooled compote evenly over the base.
- Roll the second portion into a disc to fit the top, lay it over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal. Cut a few small slits in the top for steam to escape.
- Brush with the beaten egg. Bake at 180°C for 45 to 50 minutes, until deep golden brown.
- Cool completely in the tin before releasing; it slices most cleanly once fully cool.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl. This covers the compote; the pastry and baking are the same as the hand method.
- Quince, sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon into the bowl. Cook 32 min / 100 °C / reverse / speed 1, measuring cup off, until fully softened and thickened. Pour out and cool completely.
- Continue with the pastry by hand as in the hand method.
Notes
- Quince is genuinely too hard and astringent to use raw, unlike apple or pear; the long simmer is what makes it edible and fragrant rather than a shortcut step to skip.
- Cool the compote fully before it goes onto the pastry. Warm filling softens the base crust and makes it harder to get a clean seal on the top layer.
- The pastry is a plain, sturdy shortcrust rather than a delicate one, deliberately, since it needs to hold a wet filling without collapsing.
- It keeps for 4 days at room temperature, loosely covered, or 6 days in the fridge.
Ingredient substitutions
- Quince can be part-replaced with firm pears if quince is out of season, though the cake loses some of its distinctive floral aroma.
- A pinch of ground cloves or cardamom alongside the cinnamon is a good, traditional variation.
- For a lattice top instead of a solid crust, cut the top portion into strips and weave them as for a Linzer Torte.
- Vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream alongside is the traditional way to serve a warm slice.
From Christoph Mayer