Apricots and almonds go together like roses and sunshine. This apricot almond cake generously crowned with sticky and crunchy pistachio nuts is moist in texture and delicious in taste. It has a subtle citrusy touch and is also gluten-free. The flavours meld quite beautifully. It’s made with dried apricots rather than fresh ones, so you can make it at any time of the year.
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I love these types of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean almond cakes. They’re sweet and tart at the same time, but also nutty with a dense yet tender crumb. I made the one you can see here for CT’s birthday this year as he too loves a good almond bake.
Dive Right In
- Reasons To Make Apricot Almond Cake
- Apricot Almond Cake
- Ingredients
- How to Make Apricot Almond Cake
- Apricot Almond Loaf Cake
- Other Almond Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Reasons To Make Apricot Almond Cake
It’s easy to find reasons to make an apricot almond cake. But if you doubt me here are a few that might convince you.
- Easy to Make – The recipe is straightforward and approachable. This makes it a great choice for beginners and experienced bakers alike.
- Gluten-Free – This apricot almond cake is perfect for those with gluten sensitivities or on a gluten-free diet. It’s a delicious and safe dessert option which doesn’t compromise on taste.
- Irresistible Flavour – The combination of apricots, almonds and citrus creates a wonderful flavour profile. It’s truly hard to resist the delightful balance of sweetness, tartness and nuttiness. And the dried apricots studded throughout the cake give bursts of fruity chewiness.
- Moist and Tender Texture – The cake’s moist and tender nature ensures a dense yet soft crumb that melts in the mouth at a pleasurably slow and steady rate.
- Seasonal Flexibility – As I’ve made the cake with dried apricots rather than fresh ones, you can enjoy it throughout the year, regardless of whether it’s apricot season or not. You can also swap the lime I’ve used for orange or lemon. They all pair with both apricots and almonds extremely well.
- Impressive Presentation – The sticky and crunchy pistachio nut topping adds a touch of elegance and makes the cake visually appealing. Thus, not only is it good for afternoon tea, but it’s also a great choice for a dinner party dessert or special occasion.
Apricot Almond Cake
I used to make this apricot almond cake as a loaf bake. However, because the ingredients are all quite expensive now, I think it lends itself to a more elegant form. So I now make it in a round form and serve it for special occasions.
Although I’ve used a lime, which gives a particularly zingy note to the topping, you can equally well use an orange or lemon instead. They each have their merits and all are delicious.
As already mentioned the apricots in this bake are dried ones rather than fresh. I use unsulphured apricots which are brown rather than apricot coloured. I prefer to avoid added sulphur where I can. But don’t be put off by the colour. Untreated apricots have a lovely flavour with a slightly toffeeish taste.
As pistachios are really expensive, I only use them for the topping. They’re so worth it here as you not only benefit from the gorgeous green and pink jewel-like colours, but you get to enjoy their delicate flavour too.
However, if you want to make this cake extra special, swap half of the ground almonds for ground pistachio nuts. They give a lovely green tinge to the crumb and a delicious, if subtle flavour. I’ve also made this cake with half almonds and half hunza apricot kernels before to good effect.
For freshness and texture, I like to grind my own nuts rather than use ready-ground. You can really notice the difference in a cake which is made like this one with a high percentage of nuts.
Having said that, my kitchen is still in a state of flux at the moment so it was easier to make this particular cake with the ready-ground stuff. I just need to unpack another couple of boxes though and my new kitchen will be complete.
Ingredients
You don’t need any unusual ingredients to make this apricot almond cake. Unsulphured apricots are easy to find as most general food shops now sell them. Other than butter, sugar and eggs, here are the main ingredients you need:
Dried Apricots
As already stated, I use unsulphured apricots in this cake. If you don’t preserve apricots in sulphur they lose their glorious apricot colour and go brown. I prefer my food to be as untreated as possible so I opt for natural unsulphured ones.
Luckily, I prefer the taste and texture. The natural ones are slightly sticky and taste a bit like fruity toffee.
Ground Almonds
Ground almonds are the key to this simple, yet rather sophisticated bake. They’re a natural gluten-free alternative to wheat flour and they give an appealing texture as well as flavour to cakes.
You can buy ready-ground almonds, sometimes called almond flour, in most general food shops as well as whole food ones. I like to grind my own as I find it gives bakes a fresher flavour and a more interesting texture.
Gluten-Free Flour
Most gluten-free flours work in this recipe, but a mix tends to work best. I like to use a wholegrain blend, but it’s not always easy to get hold of.
Lime
I like the zingy tartness that lime brings to this cake, but any citrus will work just as well. I’ve tried both orange and lemon in the past and can attest that both are gorgeous in their own way. An orange will give sweeter notes and lemon a different tone of sour.
You need both the juice and zest, so it’s best to use an organic lime or other citrus if you can. Organic citrus are the safest to use and only need a quick scrub. Failing that go for unwaxed. If you can only get ordinary citrus fruit, give it a good scrub in warm soapy water. Then rinse and dry before zesting.
Orange Blossom Water
It’s the orange blossom water that gives this bake its Middle Eastern vibe. You don’t need much, but its subtle floral notes add a layer of complexity that makes the cake even more delicious.
If you can’t get hold of any, leave it out, but a bottle of orange blossom water is well worth keeping in the pantry.
Pistachio Nuts
For the sticky and crunchy pistachio nut topping, you need shelled nuts. Make sure you don’t get salted ones though. You should be able to find these in supermarkets in the baking aisle.
If you want to swap half or some of the ground almonds in the recipe for ground pistachios you’ll need to grind them yourself. I’ve yet to find ready-ground pistachio nuts. I use an old coffee grinder to do this – when it’s not packed away.
How To Make Apricot Almond Cake
I’ve deviated from the Middle Eastern tradition and made this apricot almond cake with butter rather than oil. Not surprisingly it’s deliciously buttery. This does mean the cake is slightly more involved than if it was made with oil though.
Step 1. Prepare Tin
Line the bottom of your cake tin with greaseproof or baking paper. I have a couple of reusable silicone liners which are great for reducing waste. They only need a quick wash or wipe down and they roll up for easy storage. The closest I could find on Amazon is this 8″ cake tin liner set*.
Grease the sides of the tin with butter. I use old butter papers for this. They usually have just the right amount of butter clinging on to them to be effective.
Step 2. Cream Butter And Sugar
The key to creaming butter is to make sure it’s soft enough to blend with sugar, but not so soft that it collapses when you poke your finger in. Take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before you need to use it to bring it to room temperature, ideally 20C (68F).
Cream your sugar and butter together in a large mixing bowl, either by hand with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer. Beat it until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Step 3. Zest Lime
Zest the lime directly into the bowl. I use a microplane* for this. It’s quick and easy to use and is one of my favourite kitchen tools.
Beat the lime into the sugar and butter along with the orange blossom water and salt.
Step 4. Add Eggs
Beat the eggs into the butter mixture, one by one until fully incorporated. If the batter looks as though it’s splitting, alternate each egg with a spoonful of the ground almonds to help the mixture hold together.
Step 5. Prepare Apricots
On a chopping board with a sharp knife, cut the apricots into small raisin-size pieces. Then dust them with some of the flour. This helps to stop the fruit from sinking in the cake.
Step 6. Add Dry Ingredients
Stir the ground almonds into the cake mix, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Mix until you can’t see any flour. Because there is no gluten in the flour, over mixing is less of an issue.
Gently stir in the apricot pieces until just incorporated, trying not to knock off too much of the flour coating.
Step 7. Bake Cake
Scrape the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the top. Place the tin on the middle shelf of a pre-heated oven and bake for approximately one hour.
The cake is done when the top is firm to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out more or less clean. If the top of the cake looks like it’s burning, cover it with tin foil, baking paper or a used butter wrapper.
Transfer the cake to a cooling rack.
Step 8. Pistachio Topping
Whilst the cake is baking, roughly chop the pistachio kernels.
Squeeze the lime juice into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Place the pan over a gently heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring the syrup to the boil and simmer, then add the pistachios and simmer again. Pour the sticky pistachios with any leftover syrup over the warm cake whilst it’s still in its tin.
Let the cake sit for fifteen minutes, then release the sides of the tin and transfer the cake to the rack to cool completely.
Apricot Almond Loaf Cake
To make an apricot almond loaf cake, follow the recipe, but use a lined 900g (2 lb) loaf tin* instead of a round one. Bake in the centre of the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
If the top starts to get too brown, cover it with a piece of tin foil or baking paper. I use old butter papers which work really well.
Other Almond Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Almond & squash cake
- Almond apple cider cake
- Chocolate almond cake
- Cinnamon choc chop friands (vegan)
- Triple chocolate almond brownies
- Willie’s cloud forest chocolate cake
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this apricot almond cake with its sticky pistachio topping, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making these cakes?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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Choclette x
Apricot Almond Cake. PIN IT.
Apricot Almond Cake With A Sticky Pistachio Topping
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optional
- reusable cake liner (affiliate link) optional
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 175 g golden caster sugar (I used cardamom sugar) + 50g for the topping
- 1 unwaxed lime
- 1 tbsp orange flower water
- 1 pinch sea or rock salt (I used Himalayan pink rock salt)
- 4 medium eggs
- 150 g ground almonds (I usually grind my own whole almonds)
- 100 g gluten-free flour
- 1 ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 150 g unsulphured apricots chopped into raisin sized pieces
- 50 g unsalted pistachio nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Butter the sides and line the bottom of a round 20 cm (8 inch) loose bottomed cake tin.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.200 g unsalted butter, 175 g golden caster sugar
- Zest the lime finely and add together with the orange blossom water and salt. Cream some more.1 tbsp orange flower water
- Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding some of the ground nuts if the mixture looks as though it’s going to curdle.4 medium eggs
- Mix in the ground nuts, then sift in the flour and baking powder and stir gently until just incorporated.1 pinch sea or rock salt, 150 g ground almonds, 100 g gluten-free flour, 1 ½ tsp gluten-free baking powder
- Gently stir in the apricots then scrape into the prepared tin.150 g unsulphured apricots
- Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 1 hour or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If the top starts to darken too quickly, cover the top with a piece of foil or used butter paper.
- Meanwhile juice the lime and heat it with the remaining sugar in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved. Boil for a minute or two then add the pistachios. Boil for a further minute, then pour over the still warm cake to cover.50 g unsalted pistachio nuts
- Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Leave to cool completely, place on a cake stand, slice and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
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Sue says
Thank you, the apricot, pistachio cake looks wonderful. I love the Middle Eastern vibe! You mention the possibility of using oil instead of butter. Could you suggest what quantity of oil I might substitute for the butter in this recipe please?
Choclette says
Hi Sue, it’s a really good cake, but I have to confess I haven’t tried making this particular one with oil. However, you generally need less oil than butter unless you’re using coconut oil. I’d go for 150ml oil instead of the 200g of butter. Or if using coconut oil, a direct swap. Please let me know how it turns out if you make it.
Mary says
Almonds, Apricots with Pistachio pour over makes for a delectable and moist cake. Can’t wait to get this in the oven. :))
Choclette says
It’s a good one Mary. It lasted us four days and each day we so looked forward to cake time. Hope you like it too.