Quince and chestnut crumble cake

To begin, prepare the quince. Place the water, caster sugar, Marsala, cinnamon sticks and vanilla pod in a medium pan over a low heat. Stir continually until all the sugar has dissolved

Add the quince quarters to the syrup and cover with a cartouche with a small hole cut in the middle to allow steam to escape (a cartouche is a round of parchment paper cut to fit snugly in the pan). Simmer for 2 hours or until the fruit is deep red and tender. The syrup should be nicely reduced

Remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl to cool, reserving the syrup. When cool, cut the quince quarters in half

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 24cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper

Make the crumble topping by combining the flour, sugar, walnuts and cubed butter in a bowl. Rub the butter into the mixture until it forms coarse crumbs then set aside

Sieve the flour, mixed spice and baking powder into a bowl and add the almonds. Set aside

Place the butter and sugar into an electric mixer bowl and beat until the mix is pale and fluffy. Add the chestnut purée and beat until just smooth

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just combined. Gently fold in the flour mixture and milk until just combined

Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and spread until level. Arrange 12 quince slices in a circular pattern on top, then 4 slices in the centre. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top

Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to stand in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool

Serve warm or cool, drizzled with the reserved syrup. The cake is best eaten on the day of making