Apricot Almond Cake

Apricot almond cake

Serves 8-10

I found the original recipe for this cake on epicurious.com quite a few years ago and it has proven to be one of my favorite summer recipes for its versatility and use of whatever fruit is in season. The original recipe called for plums but since I had a ton of apricots I decided to use what I had on hand rather than risk another trip to the market. One of the things I like the most about this cake is that since it is made with some almond flour, the batter is quite sturdy, the fruit doesn’t sink to the bottom and make it all soggy. I have also used hazelnut flour or pistachio flour with equally wonderful results. One important thing to note is the temperature of the butter. By “room temperature” they mean the butter should be a bit soft but not squishy. One easy way to tell is to look at the surface of the butter, it should still be dull and yield slightly to your finger. If it’s shiny and very soft it’s too warm so put it back in the fridge for 10-15 min or your cake may turn out heavy and greasy.  

8 oz/225g room temperature unsalted butter (see note above) Plus more for the pan

1 C/200g granulated sugar plus 3T extra to sprinkle over the fruit before baking

2.5oz/70g almond or hazelnut flour

1 1/2C/180g all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt 

Two large eggs at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 a teaspoon of almond extract or 1 tablespoon of amaretto liquor

4-5 apricots or plums or other stone fruit, washed well, sliced in half lengthwise,  pit removed and cut in half again

1/3C sliced almonds

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch/23 cm round cake pan and line the bottom with a parchment paper round (See note below) 
• Place the ground almonds into a bowl; Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until fluffy about two minutes scraping down the bowl occasionally. Add the sugar a bit at a time beating until well blended and pale in color, about 3 minutes. 
• Add the eggs one at a time beating until incorporated, scraping down the bowl between each addition.
• Add the vanilla and almond extract or amaretto if using then add the flour mixture and beat at low speed until just blended. Scrape the bowl down to the bottom to be sure everything is well mixed. 
• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan with an offset spatula, smoothing the top.
• Gently press the apricots quarters, cut side down into the cake batter evenly spacing them about 1/2 inch apart in a spoke pattern around the edge and center of the pan. 
• Sprinkle the almond slices over the batter then the reserved 3T of sugar and place into the preheated oven. 
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run a small knife around the edge of the cake pan to loosen, then place a cutting board or flat plate over the top of the pan and invert. The cake should come right out, remove the parchment round then place the cooling rack over the cake bottom and invert it again so the cake is right side up on the rack. Let the cake cool completely then sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream or whipped cream. The cake can be made a day in advance. 

NOTE: use butter to grease the pan so that the parchment round will stay in place. I find using spray pan release makes the pan too slippery and when you go to spread the batter the parchment slides all over and makes the job much more difficult.