This decadent recipe offers a vegan twist on the classic Hummingbird Cake.

It comes from Cherie Hausler’s A Plant-Based Farmhouse, with just one minor adjustment on my part: I reduced the sugar in the cake from 390 g to 250 g.

The process is split into two steps: first, poaching the quinces, and then preparing the cake itself.

Traditionally, Hummingbird Cake is made with crushed pineapple and cream cheese frosting, but here, a silky tahini caramel adds richness and depth with minimal effort—just heat and drizzle.

Quince

Quince (Cydonia oblonga), a close relative of apples and pears, isn’t great raw, but once cooked it turns tender, rosy, and floral, filling your kitchen with its irresistible aroma.

tips & variations

  • If quinces are out of season or hard to find, you can substitute the original pineapple, or use apples or pears instead.
  • To add more depth of flavour, use 1/2 cup (120g) of sourdough discard and reduce the flour to 260g.
poached quinces

Quinces have a short season in autumn, but they freeze beautifully, letting you enjoy their floral sweetness all year round. This recipe makes three portions—bake one now and freeze the rest for future cakes.

preparation 30 minutes – an hour

serves approx. 3 portions

ingredients

4 small quinces (614g), washed and cut into quarters, remove the core and seeds

4 cups/820g water

1/2 cup/100g sugar

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways

5 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

optional spices:

cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise

preparation

  1. Place the quinces in a large saucepan and cover with water. Stir in the sugar, then add the vanilla bean and optional spices. Bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat and simmer for 30–60 minutes, until the quinces are tender and can be pierced easily with a fork. penetrate the fruit.
  3. Let the quinces cool in the poaching liquid. Reserve the amount needed for the cake, and save the rest for future recipes or reduce it to make a glaze for breads, tarts, or buns.

Once your quinces are ready, you’re all set to prepare the cake.

quince hummingbird cake with tahini caramel

makes 12 mini bundt cakes or a 26cm bundt cake, or 18 baker’s cup cakes

preparation time 30 mins

baking time 30 mins

cake ingredients

375g plain (all-purpose) white spelt flour

250g blond sugar or granulated sugar

1½ tsps/10g bicarbonate soda

1 ¾ tsp/7g baking powder

1 tsp/5g fine rock salt

2 tsp/6g cinnamon powder

480g mashed banana (from about 3-4 large bananas)

90g/⅓ cup + 2 Tbsp neutral-tasting oil

160g/¾ cup quince poaching liquid

1 Tbsp/12g vanilla extract

50g/¼ cup apple cider vinegar

150g/1 cup poached quince, chopped into 1 cm cubes

75g/approx. ¾ cup pecans, chopped

tahini caramel

150g maple syrup

70g tahini

35g extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tbsp/12g vanilla extract

preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Grease 12 mini bundt tins or line two muffin trays with 18 cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk the mashed banana, quince poaching liquid, oil, and vanilla extract. Combine with the dry ingredients until fully mixed.
  4. Stir in the apple cider vinegar until bubbles form. Fold in the chopped poached quince and pecans.
  5. Pour batter into prepared tins. Bake mini bundts or cupcakes for 30 minutes, or a large 26 cm bundt cake for 40–50 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  6. Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack.

tahini caramel

  1. Combine all tahini caramel ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until smooth and emulsified.
  2. Let rest for 10 minutes if necessary to achieve a runny-honey consistency.
  3. Drizzle over cooled cakes, letting it run down the sides. Decorate with flowers or foliage if desired.

storage

Store leftover cake in an airtight container for 2–3 days.