Almond Apricot Cake
Tue, Apr 5, 2011
I am in love with almond flour.
I discovered almond flour during the holidays while trying to find a way to make some low-carb cookies and cakes for my father. Not all almond flour is created equal. There are some brands available in the grocery store that have a very gritty texture which I do not enjoy. A gluten-free friend of mine suggested I try the almond flour from Honeyville Farms and I am so glad she did. The texture is light and very fine, and it has a delicate, nutty flavor. Yes, it is a little pricey but it is SO worth it since it bakes nearly as well as regular flour! I got a 10 pound bag of the stuff and I have loved adding it to different recipes to see what would result. This is one such recipe.
For a long time I have made almond cake with almond paste. It is a good cake, but it can be a little dense and if you add any fruit it sinks right to the bottom. I decided to reformulate the recipe using almond flour. After a little tweaking I ended up with a nutty, sweet, very moist cake that is studded with tender, juicy bits of apricot. To finish it off I added a lemony glaze and decorated the top with toasted almonds and bits of dry apricot. It holds for up to three days, covered, on the counter, making it a good candidate for make ahead baking. Once decorated, the cake is homey, charming, and perfect for spring!
Almond Apricot Cake Serves 8 – 10
For the cake:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced fresh apricot (or dry apricot soaked in hot water for 10 minutes)
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 to 4 tablespoons water
Toasted flaked almonds, for garnish
Chopped dry apricot, for garnish
Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8-inch cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl cream together the butter and sugar until well combined and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
To the butter mixture all all at once the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Fold in the chopped apricots.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the center and the edges pull away from the sides of the pan. After 30 minutes you may need to loosely cover the top of the cake with foil to prevent over-browning. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn the cake out into a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cake cools prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together the butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and two tablespoons of the water. Add more water, a few drops at a time, until the mixture forms a thick pourable glaze.
Once cool pour the glaze over the top of the cake and gently spread to the edges. Decorate the top of the cake with the toasted almonds and dry apricot.
Enjoy!
© 2011, Evil Shenanigans – Baking & Cooking Blog. All rights reserved.
Tags: Almond Apricot Cake, Almond Cake, almond flour, Apricot Cake, apricots, baking with almond flour, cake glaze, easter, easter cake, flat icing, honeyville farms almond flour, how to make a powdered sugar glaze, How to make almond cake, how to use almond flour, lemon glaze, powdered sugar icing, spring, toasted almond
soft delicious looking flavourful cake
Even though I typically read this blog on a regular basis anyway, the picture of this cake sent it to the top of my baking blog list! The first picture you have posted of the cake is incredibly attractive; even though I’m not a huge fruit-and-nut cake fan, it really does make me want to try it out. ^_^
This cake looks like a party…love it!
This looks so light and delicious! A perfect cake for Spring : )
This looks like the perfect spring dessert – guess I’m going to have to find some almond flour!
What a great, moist looking cake!
This looks delicious!! I am loving the pop of orange color from the apricots!!
This looks amazing. I love the glaze dripping on the top and the pop of color from the apricots. Lovely cake.
This cake is gorgeous. Whoever got to eat this are lucky people.
Looks amazing and a ‘must try!’ Thanks for the tip on almond flour – sounds like this brand would work nicer for French macarons than the brand I use.
Oh my! I can’t believe my almond flour has been cheating on me! We’ve been having a torrid affair too…I’ve got an almond olive oil cake recipe coming up next week. Those apricots and that glaze look sooooo good…definitely trying this for my next almond cake!
Your cake is so pretty, it looks amazingly moist! The only thing I’ve ever made with almond flour are macarons. I’ll have to give your recipe a whirl!
Stunning cake! Great photos to reflect what is no doubt an awesome tasting treat. Thanks so much for sharing…I wonder if I can find almond flour in Cayman. Hmmm…
Looks befitting for any anniversary!
Looks super delicious! I’m going to try this recipe as I am in love with almond flour too.
This is a lovely cake. Going to bake this one!
Moist and delicious, yum! Great cake, mouthwatering photos!
Interesting…I’ve never baked with almond flour. Going to ahve to try it out!
mmm…. this looks good
One tip since you mentioned that the fruits dropped to the bottom when you used almond paste for this recipe, if you put the fruits (dried, fresh or frozen) in a bowl with enough flour to coat them lightly they are less pron to sinking
the pictures are very pretty, i´m gonna look for almond flour the next time i´m in the shop
I’ve never cooked with almond flour but I love the idea of a light, nutty taste. I’m not a huge apricot fan, but I’m sure even fresh blackberries would be delicious with this cake, leaving them out of the batter. Or cranberry-almond? I could definitely do cranberries. Ok, now I’m starving.
This looks really good! One site you might want to check out is Elena’s Pantry, her blog is completely gluten-free and she has some great looking recipes. Also, try making your own almond flour! It’s a lot cheaper, and really simple to do in a coffee grinder.
what a gorgeous cake! Thanks for sharing the recipe, wish you could share eating it too.:-)
OMG – this cake looks soooooooooooo good! I wish I had a slice right now. Congrats on the top 9 today!!
This does look like the perfect spring cake. Beautiful job.
Can you sub almond flour cup for cup for regular flour in anything? I assume the taste will be nuttier of course, but will the texture and baking be the same?
Mindy – You can’t sub it for all the flour in most recipes with out doing some changes to things like the liquid ingredients first. There are some good resources for baking with almond flour on the web, but Elana’s Pantry is my favorite site.
I never even knew they made almond flour! Bet it would be delicious in cookies too. This cake is just beautiful!
I’m speechless – what a wonderful website you have, what terrific recipes and photography! This cake looks so moist and juicy! I’ve never seen almond flour here, but maybe I could order some online.