Apricot Cake
Apricot Cake is a light and delicious dessert, perfect for summer. Surprisingly simple and full of good ingredients, this cake is a healthier option for a sugar craving, and is definitely a crowd pleaser.
This apricot cake recipe is one I’ve made over and over again with various fruits, and the results never disappoint. A yogurt base means the cake is moist without needing nearly as much butter.
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Adapted from an Italian recipe for whole orange cake, it made sense to me to add apricots to this recipe since they’re a summer staple in Italy. This cake isn’t as sweet as a typical frosted cake, so you can really taste the apricots.
Can I use Dried Apricots for this Cake?
Not exactly. The fruit adds moisture to the cake, and this is not a “fruit cake” in the typical sense, so I would steer clear of using any dried fruit, unless you wanted to add small amount of chopped dried apricots to it, but I don’t feel it would add to this apricot cake.
Should I Peel the Apricots?
You don’t have to! And I would recommend against it. In a food processor, the apricots should blend up very easily. When cooked, the skin softens, so there will be no difference in texture. Less work for you—besides, the skin has lots of fiber and extra nutrition. And if you want another way to use them, chop them up and put them to use in these incredibly light and fluffy fruit muffins!
Can I Freeze this Apricot Cake?
Yes, this apricot cake freezes beautifully! I often have pieces in the freezer because it freezes so well! Perfect for popping out of the freezer when you only feel like a small sweet treat with no clean up!
When I was in Germany a few years ago on an AmaWaterways Melodies of the Danube cruise, we stopped in Weissenkirchen which is famous for its apricots. I still had a tiny bottle of apricot liqueur which the monks made at Melk Abbey, and it went perfectly with this lovely cake!
Please let me know in the comments if you try this apricot cake and what you think of it, if you do! Thanks in advance!
Apricot Cake
Recipe adapted from Sicilian Whole Orange Cake Serves 8
I highly recommend using a scale for this recipe and if you are deciding on cups or weight, ALWAYS weigh!
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- eggs
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- baking powder (or packet Italian Pane Degli Angeli vanilla baking powder)
- butter, softened
- plain Greek yogurt (sour cream works, too)
- organic apricots
- (if using plain baking powder, add vanilla extract)
- powdered sugar, if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the Apricot Cake
Grease a bundt cake pan or 8″ springform pan by spraying with oil (or rub with butter). (If using a springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper. Make sure to spray the paper, too.)
Cut up the washed apricots into halves or quarters. Set aside.
Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
Sift the flour with the baking powder or Paneangeli, then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended.
Stir in the yogurt.
In a food processor, process the apricot halves until almost pureed. Add the processed apricot the cake mixture (along with the vanilla if you used plain baking powder) and stir until evenly combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared bundt or cake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the orange cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
Sift powdered sugar on top just before serving, if desired. Enjoy!
If you love citrus or just want to add more fruit into your desserts, you can try this recipe with different fruit variations. So far I’ve made whole lemon cake, whole orange cake, apple cake, pear cake, peach cake, and kumquat cupcakes.
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Apricot Cake
Special Equipment
- 1 8 in springform pan or bundt pan
- 1 cake tester optional
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 ⅛ cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder or 1 packet Italian Pane Degli Angeli vanilla baking powder
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt (sour cream works, too)
- 6 apricots organic, washed and cut into pieces (no need to peel, but remove the pit)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (ONLY if using plain baking powder)
- powdered sugar optional for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (175°C).
- Grease a bundt cake pan or 8" springform pan by spraying with oil (or butter). (If using a springform pan, line with parchment paper. Make sure to spray the paper, too.)
- Place the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until light and fluffy.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder or Paneangeli, then add to the mixture in the bowl a little at a time along with the softened butter. Continue to mix until completely blended.
- Stir in the yogurt.
- In a food processor, process the apricot halves until almost pureed.
- Add the processed apricot the cake mixture (along with the vanilla if you used plain baking powder) and stir until evenly combined.
- Put the batter into the prepared bundt or cake pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on your oven), but test with a cake tester or skewer to make sure the orange cake is done before removing from the oven. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.
- Sift powdered sugar on top just before serving, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Measurements in baking are scientific, they must be precise which is why I always advise using a scale for best results.
- Try to steer away from improvising or substituting ingredients the first time you make a recipe. Make changes the next time when you know what the original is like.
Nutrition
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HI Christina! I love this recipe and have saved it for next year when the apricots are back. But this got me to your peach cake and I am making that this week for guests! Love it!
Fantastic, David! Let me know what you think!
Yum! I’m not much of a baker as you know but this looks too good not to give it a go. It’s the kind of thing I’d love with my morning coffee.
By the way, I forgot to mention that instead of vanilla, I used Fiora di Scilia….which was perfect with the apricot!
Oh that sounds lovely! Thanks for the tip!
This is an absolutely marvelous cake. I love anything with apricot and this is something I will make many times. No gloppy icing, no sprinkles, no chocolate chips, no nuttin’ except good cake with apricots. It is great for a summer evening. I couldn’t find fresh apricots so used 300 g of canned ones, that I drained quite a while and then chopped. This would be absolutely divine with some apricot sorbet. Thanks Christina for a real winner of a recipe. And while I’m saying thank you, your Buche de Noel is the best of the best of the best. My family adored it and it was gluten free which made it available to my daughter with celiacs.
Thank you so much, Geoffrey! Soooo appreciate your comments, and actually really love that you enjoyed the plain cake. Many times, less is more. :)
What i wouldnt give to having some apricots with flavor so that i could make this cake. I love apricots. Everytime I buy apricots around where i live, they have no flavor. I have started trees from seed but i have no yard. My sister has one that I started from seed and it gives her wonderful apricots. She lives 150 miles away, though. I love your newsletters and recipes.
Oh Vicki, I absolutely empathize with you! I’m so tired of dealing with this issue with so many fruits and vegetables :( Luckily, the apricots I bought at Trader Joe’s were actually quite tasty. If you do find some fruit that is tasty, I have made this cake using peaches, apples, pears, lemons and the original: oranges. I have all these recipes on my site, so at least you have options. Thank you so much for your kind words, Vicki!
I’m with you, Vicki. Supermarket, boutique market (e.g. Gelsons), farmers markets–all apricots of last several years are tasteless and practically scent-less. I’d love to try this cake, otherwise. Maybe I’ll try out the orange version.
Can I use peaches
Hi Zelia, most of your questions are answered in the body of the post. I linked to this peach cake along with many other fruits made with this same recipe there. Yes, it’s delicious.
After making your other delicious versions of this cake, I am excited to try this one as well. I love how versatile this recipe is.
I too have made “versions” of this cake, with citrus fruit like orange, but not tried apricots as they are uncommon where I live. We have lots of berries here — especially little wild blueberries – in summer. I’d like opinion about how such berries might do in a cake like this one?
Are they too “wet” when you process them, or are they too “lumpy” if you leave the tiny ones whole ? Or are berries just unsuitable for this
combination of things.
Hi Suzan, glad to hear you’re also a fan of this recipe. I have only used cranberries in this cake, and tossed them in instead of blending them. I would guess that processing the blueberries may be okay since they’re not “juicy” like strawberries and raspberries. However, I think it might make for a rather unappealing looking cake. I may have to experiment, though! I would think the better option would be like this cranberry orange cake, though. Maybe a lemon blueberry one, with little blueberries whole? Let me know if you have a go first!