Apricot Dessert Cake

This is not hard to make and not hard to eat.  Another recipe from Joel’s generous aunt Angela.  We love this cake!  I think I have made it three times over the last couple of months.  Perfect dessert as you can pop it in the oven a bit before dinner and leave it there for almost 40 minutes then pour over the orange juice and it is pretty much ready to serve.  Best eaten warm with a generous swirl of cream.

What surprises me about this cake is how light and spongy the cake is.  I thought it would be quite dense to support all the apricots but it was light and luscious and soaked up all the delicious orange juice and caramel.

The cake calls for a tin of apricot halves so you can make it year round.  And all the ingredients are pretty standard to have in the kitchen so you whip this up without a special trip to the shops.

Angela likes to make 8  individual serves in a mini loaf pan tray.  I have been looking to buy one but they are hard to come by.  I know I have seen them before when I wasn’t wanting to buy one but now I am wanting to buy one they have all disappeared off the shelves! If you are lucky enough to possess a mini loaf pan tray then just bake the little cakes for 20 minutes.  They would look perfect served with a nice dollop of cream.

Each time I have made this it gets gobbled up so quickly.  The chatter around the table stops and all you can hear is the clunk of the spoons on the plate.  Happy silence.

apricot dessert cake

90g unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 x 825g tin of apricot halves
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
2/3 cup self-raising flour
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) orange juice, heated
an extra 3 tablespoons (1/4 cup) orange juice, heated

Line a 23cm deep sandwich tin with baking paper.

Drain the apricot halves and discard the syrup.  Dry the apricots well on absorbent paper.

Melt the butter over a low heat and gently stir in the brown sugar.  Beat well until the butter is absorbed.  Spread this caramel evenly over the base of the tin.  Place the drained apricot halves (rounded side down) on top of the caramel.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Sift the flour and salt then gently fold into the egg mixture.  Then fold in the warmed orange juice.  Pour mixture over the apricots and smooth over.  Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until golden and springs back to the touch, or tested with a skewer.  Place tin on wire rack.

Meanwhile, heat remaining orange juice and pour over the cake and leave to soak for a few minutes.  Carefully invert cake on to a serving platter and serve immediately with cream or ice cream.

Thank-you so much Angela for sharing this scrumptious recipe!