If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed my fondness for upside-down cakes. I like the combination of caramelized fruity layer and cake so much, that I constantly come up with new ways to prepare it. This time I was lucky to have found beautiful fresh quince and Meyer lemons, so I’ve decided to use both in one cake.
Unlike most of my upside-down cakes, this one requires a bit of make-ahead preparations, as quince is not the kind of fruit that will soften only while baking. While preparing the quince for cooking, I thought that it would be a good idea to cook the sliced Meyer lemon with it, and indeed the aromas of both were mixed beautifully right from the beginning.
This tasty cake is so perfect for the holiday season, I plan to bake it again soon. I’m sure you will too, once you’ll try it.
Notes:
* The quince and Meyer lemon can be cooked a day in advance. Keep covered in the fridge and bring to room temperature before using
* Meyer lemon is a wonderful cross between citron, mandarin and orange. It is highly aromatic, and is mildly astringent, compared to regular lemon. If you can’t find it, use a mix of lemon and orange zest and juice instead.
Makes: 10
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time for the quince and Meyer lemon: 40 minutes
Baking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
For the candied quince and Mayer lemons:
2 large quince, cores removed, cut into thick sections
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup honey (preferably orange blossom)
1 medium Meyer lemon, sliced
5-6 cardamom pods, lightly crashed
1 stick cinnamon
For the top layer:
½ stick (55 grams) butter, soft
¼ cup sugar
For the batter:
¾ cup whole milk, at room temperature
¼ cup Meyer lemon juice (from 1 medium)
1 stick (115 grams) butter, soft
2 L eggs
Zest from 1 medium Meyer lemon
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
Dash salt
1. Place the quince in a large wide pot and add the sugar and honey. Arrange the Meyer lemon slices on top and add the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Add enough water just to cover. Cover the pot and bring to the boil on medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot, lower the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes, tilting the pot occasionally, until the quince is pinkish and soft but still keeps its shape, and the lemon slices are candied. Bring to room temperature before using.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Spread the butter for the fruit layer over the bottom of a 9½” (24cm) deep cake pan. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter. Keep in the fridge until using.
3. The batter: mix the milk and lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes, until it sours. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, sugar and zest. Add the soured milk and mix. Add the vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to a smooth batter.
4. Arrange the candied lemon slices on top of the sugar layer in the pan. Add the cooked quince on top of it. Pour the batter over the fruit layer, from the center out, and level with a spatula. Don’t spread the batter all the way to the sides of the pan – this will make it easier to release the cake from the pan after baking.
5. Bake for 50 minutes, until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let the cake stand for 1 minute in the pan.
6. Place a plate (the size of the pan or bigger) on top of the pan. Using oven mitts (remember, the pan is still hot!) hold both the plate and pan together, and turn the pan upside down onto the plate. Carefully, remove the pan. If some bits still stick to the pan, scrape them gently and add to the top of the cake. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.
What an attractive and delicious looking cake!
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Thank you Greg!
I was very happy with how it came out. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving weekend, so that’s something to look forward to! 🙂
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Indeed!
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When we lived near San Francisco in California, it was easy to find Meyer lemons when they were in season, but I can’t say that I have seen any out here in the desert. I never really knew what they were, specifically, but now I am curious as to their taste. I put a mandarin in our cereal every morning, and that is quite delightful, so I’m sure a combination with the more lemon-y ambience would lend a delightful presence to many other dishes. Must keep my eyes open for these delights!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Meyer lemon is indeed a wonderful combination of citrus flavors. It used to be more rare but lately I see it more at the store so I’m guessing someone is putting some effort in raising more of them. Not sure if the ones we get now are the same as the wild ones, but I’m happy to have them around. 🙂
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This is beautiful Ronit. And such flavours as always
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Thank you Philip, I’m glad you liked the cake. It turned out so good, I’m planning to make it again soon! 🙂
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I can’t wait to make it too
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I hope you’ll enjoy it. It would be interesting to see your version. 🙂
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Reblogged this on On the Road Cooking and commented:
If candied quince tastes half as good as candied kumquat I will love this upside-down cake!
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You and me both Ronit, we both love upside down cakes. I’ve seen the same effect with the blood oranges, they both look ever so pretty 🙂 I wonder if we have quince at our local grocery store? I’ll have to check that out.
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I’ve made one with regular oranges and love the results. I love blood oranges and still have to try the blood orange one, but unfortunately they’re not as easy to get. Hopefully I’ll get lucky this year.
I hope you’ll be able to find nice quince. It’s such an amazing fruit! 🙂
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Looks wonderful – what an interesting combination .
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Thank you Joyce, I’m glad you liked the recipe.
I’m a big quince fan and the addition of the Meyer lemon made them even better. 🙂
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I love upside down cakes, and this one looks like a winner – thank you, Ronit!
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Thank you Dolly! I’m glad to find another upside-down cakes enthusiast! 🙂
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A work of beauty Ronit!
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Thank you Kathryn, for such a nice comment. 🙂
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Wow, I just learned about the existence of the Meyer lemon yesterday. What are the chances of finding this in my feed. Thanks for the explanation and recipe post Ronit!
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Such a great coincidence!
It’s really a wonderful citrus fruit. Well worth looking for. 🙂
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That looks really Gorgeus😄😄
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Thank you Gerhard! 🙂
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I love cakes such as this one and am sure the Meyer lemon really gave it a lovely taste. I am always on the look out for them but can never seem to find any. Sounds delicious Ronit!
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Thank you Marisa! The Meyer lemons added lots of aroma and wonderful flavor. They are indeed not always easy to get, so whenever I see them, I immediately grab a few. 🙂
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Thank you for sharing this gem of a holiday recipe. I loved your beautiful photos as well! 🙂
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Thank you Tonya, I’m glad to share! 🙂
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I’m with you about upside down cakes and I love the idea of your citrus one…it is so pretty too.
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Thank you Karen, I’m glad you liked my version. The citrus aroma and flavor worked so well with the quince. I plan to make this cake again for Thanksgiving. 🙂
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mmmm
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🙂
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This is a winner for sure – just beautiful orange color – perfect for Fall, Ronit. I bet it is delicious too with the candied fruit.
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Thank you Judi! I was very happy with how the cake came out. It is indeed so perfect for the season. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving. 🙂
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So lovely
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Thank you Lynn! 🙂
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What a creation!
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Thank you Franck! 🙂
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Beautiful and looks yum! Quince and Meyer lemon are unknown fruits to me – esp. curious about the former since someone mentioned on WordPress. I wish I could I taste both your cake and quince itself!
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I’m sorry to hear that you don’t have access to these wonderful fruits.
I’m surprised you didn’t encounter quince while in Israel or in Sicily, but maybe it wasn’t the right season for it. It is one of my favorite fruits. Next time you visit, ask for it. 🙂
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Oh, obtainable in Israel and Sicily too? You may be right as it is an autumn – winter fruit. Or my eagle eye was obsessed with Halva or pistachio 😀
Well, I’ll find it out next time!!
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I can definitely understand that! 🙂
Quince is known all over the Mediterranean mostly for sweet dishes, while in countries like Georgia and Iran it is also used for savory dishes. I love it in any form. 🙂
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Savory too? Mmmm my curiosity deepens….
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You can check the following link for my recipe for duck with quince. It is also great in meat stews. 🙂
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/?s=quince
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Wow, thank you Ronit!
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My pleasure. 🙂
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Wow! Looks great!
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Thank you Kendall! 🙂
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It looks very yummy.
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Thank you Miranda! 🙂
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This dish is irresistible😋😋😋Welcome to my kitchen and thanks for coming🌻I look forward to follow your recipes😀
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Thank you!
I’m glad you liked the recipe and I look forward to seeing your posts as well. 🙂
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An excellent cake indeed. Quince is a particular fruit that I have only had a couple of times. Linda Duffin who writes the Mrs. Portly’s Kitchen blog has a regular supply and sent me some last year. Lovely stuff.
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Thank you Conor!
Quince is indeed an amazing and unique fruit. I’m glad you had a chance to use and taste it. I love to use it in savory dishes as well, especially with duck. 🙂
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That is a fantastic thought. I saw some well priced duck breast in a local supermarket yesterday. Good quality too. Now, where to find some quince?
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Well, here’s the recipe, maybe you’ll get lucky! 🙂
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/duck-legs-with-orange-and-quince-2/
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Lovely, Ronit. Those photos, too.
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Thank you Mary, so nice to hear. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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Ronit,
I love upside down cakes too. This one really takes the ‘cake’ 🙂
It is a treat both for the eyes and the tastebuds!
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Thank you Sandhya, for such a lovely comment.
It is indeed a bit more time consuming than my usual upside-down cakes, but it was worth the extra effort. I plan to make it again for Thanksgiving. . 🙂
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Your family is so lucky to have that fabulous upside down cake! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
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Thank you Sandhya, for your kind words.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and loved ones. 🙂
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amo moltissimo le torte al limone, e questa mi sembra proprio molto invitante!
ti ringrazio molto per la condivisione, cercherò di sperimentarla al più presto
felice sera Annalisa
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Sto utilizzando Google Translate, quindi spero che andrà bene.
Grazie mille per la visita e per le gentili parole. E ‘il mio piacere di condividere e spero potrete godere della torta.
Buona sera anche a te. 🙂
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a googlr translate dovremo fare un monumento! grazie tutto ok
felice giorno 🙂
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Sono molto contento di sapere! Vi auguro una buona giornata. 🙂
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I will keep you recipe in mind! I have a lot of quinces every year and I love them so much! Your cake look grate and I love the combination of quinces with citrus. I often prepare candied quices (the Turkish variation). I also preserved them and I will look forward to prepare the cake!
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You’re lucky to have such access to quince! Whenever I’m able to find them, I too make candied ones and use it also in savory dishes. Such a great fruit it is. 🙂
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Upside down cakes are much fun to make. It’s so rewarding when they are removed from the pan, and the delicious fruit topping suddenly takes center stage.
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It is indeed such fun. I love the caramelized layer with the baked fruits. So good! 🙂
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This is mouth watering.
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Thank you Trav! 🙂
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Anytime 😊
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Creativity in its heights!! Absolutely gorgeous Ronit
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Thank you Sumith. I’ve made this again for Thanksgiving and it vanished quickly… 🙂
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Oh yum, I have quince AND meyer lemon trees in my backyard.
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Thank you. You’re very lucky to have both! 🙂
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I know.
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