Recipe: Quince Yeast Cake

This recipe from Maggie Beer's new book Maggie's Table (Lantern, $45) piles luscious quinces on a yeasty cake and is perfect for afternoon tea.

15g fresh yeast or 1.5 teaspoons dried yeast

1 teaspoon castor sugar

warm water

150g unbleached plain flour

2 small free-range eggs

45g softened unsalted butter

3 Pot-Roasted Quinces*

Mix the yeast and castor sugar with 100ml of warm water in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes until frothy. Combine the yeast mixture, flour and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in the softened butter until the dough is shiny and soft. If it is dry, add a little extra warm water. Cover the dough with plastic film and leave in a draught-free spot until doubled in volume, about 2 hours, or leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

If you have let your dough rise in the fridge overnight, allow it to come to room temperature before proceeding. Butter a 22cm springform cake tin and gently flatten the dough over the base of the tin. Cut one of the quinces in half and cut away the core. Arrange both halves in the middle of the dough, cut-side uppermost. Slice the remaining quinces thickly and arrange these around the edge of the dough. Leave the cake to rise in a draught-free spot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C. Melt a little of the jelly from the quinces and brush this over the surface of the risen cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.