Traditional polenta cakes are full of butter, eggs and sugar, and are usually drenched with syrup (even more sugar!). This oil-free, refined sugar-free vegan version of an old favourite is very much a special-occasion recipe, but totally worth the time and effort.

You could make the quince and pomegranate topping as a stand-alone recipe, and just serve it as a fruit compote.

Ingredients:

Polenta cake

4 tbsp ground linseed
300 ml water
200 g unsweetened applesauce*
200 g date sugar**
1 tsp orange blossom water
200 g ground almonds/almond meal
100 g polenta

Quince and pomegranate topping

200 g pitted dates
750 ml water
2 quinces
Arils (seed capsules) from 1 fresh pomegranate or equivalent amount of frozen pomegranate arils

Method:

Polenta cake

Whisk ground linseed with water and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a 20 cm cake pan with baking paper.

Place applesauce, date sugar and orange blossom water in a food processor or high-powered blender and blend at high speed for 20 seconds. Add linseed mixture and blend again for 20 seconds.

Stir in ground almonds/almond meal and polenta.

Pour mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the pan.

Quince and pomegranate topping

Place dates and water in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a food processor or high-powered blender and purée. (If you have a Thermomix, cook at 100°C for 10 minutes on speed 2 then blend on speed 8 for 10 seconds.)

Peel quince, cut into quarters and remove the tough, woody core. Cut each quarter into 3 or 4 thin slices. Arrange quince slices in a slow cooker, pour date syrup over the top, and cook on High setting for 6 hours. If you don’t have a slow cooker, place quince slices and date syrup in a covered casserole and bake at 130°C for 4-5 hours or until quince is tender.

Carefully remove quince slices from the syrup. Stir pomegranate arils into the syrup.

To assemble cake, arrange some quince slices on top, and dollop quince and pomegranate syrup over the quince slices. Serve with additional quince slices and syrup.

* Unsweetened applesauce can be purchased from health food stores; made at home (I just blitz cored apples, peel and all, in my Thermomix with a small amount of water, and cook at 100°C for 15 minutes); or substitute unsweetened apple purée from the lunchbox snacks section of the supermarket.

** I buy date sugar from iHerb; if you don’t already have an account with iHerb, use the coupon code UTE208 for a discount at checkout.