Apricot Honey Cake Recipes

FRESH APRICOT-HONEY SPONGE CAKE (RUSSIAN STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter, and dust with bread crumbs; set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sliced apricots, and drizzle with honey. Cover, and cook gently until the apricots have softened, then allow to cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, beat the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric mixer. Slowly pour in sugar while continuing to beat to stiff peaks; set aside.
• Beat the egg yolks on low speed for a few seconds until slightly thickened.
• Slowly pour in sugar while continuing to beat until thickened and light-colored. Beat in milk, then sift together flour with baking powder, and fold into yolks along with cooled apricot mixture, walnuts, and egg whites until combined.
• Pour into prepared pan, and bake in the middle or bottom of the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Loosen the cake by running a knife around the edges of the pan.
• Invert cake onto a plate, then place another plate on the cake bottom, and flip right-side-up; cool completely before serving.

APRICOT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little of the butter to grease a 9-inch round baking pan with a removable bottom. Dust the pan with a little of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Cream the remaining butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture and the vanilla.
• Spread the batter in the baking pan. Arrange the apricot slices on the top. Put in the oven and bake about 25 minutes, until the top of the cake looks fairly firm and is just beginning to brown.
• Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned. Remove from the oven, allow to cool 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Serve the cake while it is still warm, with creme fraiche, whipped cream or vanilla frozen yogurt on the side.

APRICOT TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment. Butter and flour twelve 3-by-1 1/2-inch cake rings; set on parchment. Place cornmeal in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine milk, sugar, salt, and orange zest. Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring.
• Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the cornmeal, incorporating with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place 30 minutes. Add the orange juice.
• Place the apricot halves on paper towels, and let drain. One at a time, add the egg yolks to the cornmeal mixture, stirring after each addition. Stir in the olive oil.
• In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and shiny. Fold into cornmeal mixture.
• Center one apricot half, cut-side up, in each cake ring. Pour 1/2 cup batter into each ring. Bake 5 minutes, and remove from oven. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Place another apricot half, cut-side up, in each ring, and place an almond in the center of each apricot. Return to oven, and bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack; let cool 5 minutes. Remove rings, and cool completely. Drizzle cakes with honey; serve.

APRICOT BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 23cm-deep cake tin (preferably not loose-based, see tip below) and line the base with silicone or baking parchment. Mix the topping ingredients and spread over the base of the tin.
• Mix the milk and vanilla together. Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk with a tabletop or hand electric mixer until the mixture is thick, pale and increased in volume, about 5 mins. Test it is ready by lifting the whisk blades - if the mixture briefly leaves a trail, you are ready to proceed.
• Add one-third of the flour and whisk slowly to incorporate, then one-third of the milk and mix again. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk is added. Slowly whisk in the melted butter.
• Halve and stone the apricots. Place, cut-side down, in the base of the tin. Pour the cake batter over the top and slide into the oven. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed.
• Cool the cake in the tin for 20 mins, then carefully remove from the tin, peel off the lining paper and serve warm or cold.

DEVONSHIRE HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/ conventional 160C/gas 3. Butter and line a 20cm round loosebottomed cake tin. Cut the butter into pieces and drop into a medium pan with the honey and sugar. Melt slowly over a low heat. When the mixture looks quite liquid, increase the heat under the pan and boil for about one minute. Leave to cool for 15-20 minutes, to prevent the eggs cooking when they are mixed in.
• Beat the eggs into the melted honey mixture using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour into a large bowl and pour in the egg and honey mixture, beating until you have a smooth, quite runny batter.
• Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour until the cake is well-risen, golden brown and springs back when pressed. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean.
• Turn the cake out on a wire rack. Warm 2 tbsp honey in a small pan and brush over the top of the cake to give a sticky glaze, then leave to cool. Keeps for 4-5 days wrapped, in an airtight tin.

UPSIDE-DOWN STICKY APRICOT CAKE

Steps:

• Tip the sugar into a deep, ovenproof frying pan. Place over a high heat until caramelised, remove from the heat, then lay the apricots, cut side down, in the caramel, quartering some of the apricots to fit into the gaps. Set aside. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• To make the cake batter, use an electric whisk to cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the milk and saffron, if using. Fold in the flours and ground almonds, then beat until combined.
• Spoon dollops of the batter over the apricots and smooth over with the back of a spoon. Bake for 40 mins until puffed up and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 mins. Invert the cake onto a plate and leave to cool. Cut into wedges. Serve with crème fraîche, if you like.

APRICOT HONEY CAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, soak the apricots in the rum for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 10- by 5-inch loaf pan.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Stir in the honey, vegetable oil, grated lemon and orange rind and juice, sugar, salt, and apricot jam.
• Sift the 2 flours and the baking soda into another bowl.
• Strain the apricots, reserving the excess rum.
• Add the flour alternately with the rum to the honey cake mixture. Fold in the apricots. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with the nuts.
• Bake in the oven on the lower rack for 50-55 minutes, or until the center of the cake is firm when you pres sit. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.