I've appropriated this recipe from Heidi Swanson's membrillo cake. It's a great way to use up a hardened jam, jelly or conserve that's been in your fridge for too long. She uses membrillo, or quince paste, I used a fig and ginger jam that a friend made that I could cut up into pieces. The conserve pieces melt inside the cake to give a soft moist texture.

2 1/2 c flour (I used spelt and buckwheat)
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 c brown sugar or natural sweetener
1/2 tsp salt
grated zest of 2 lemons
1/3 c poppy seeds, optional
2 eggs
1 1/2 c buttermilk or yoghurt
1/4 c melted butter or coconut oil
250g fruit conserve or quince paste
2 Tbs brown or muscavado sugar or large-crystal sugar
1/4 c sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 200C. Line a 23 cm round cake tin with baking paper.
Combine all dry ingredients including zest and poppy seeds, if using, into a large bowl. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl, then whisk in butter. Pour into dry ingredients and mix to just combined. Gently fold in 2/3 of the conserve/paste.
Pour batter into cake tin, top with remaining conserve pieces, then sprinkle with sugar and almonds.
Bake for 20-25 min until cooked through, don't overcook. Best served warm or at room temperature. Go for a dollop of cream, mascarpone or yoghurt for extra indulgence.