Soft Fresh Apricot Cake
Today I made this summer fresh apricot cake that I highly recommend for its deliciousness and simplicity. It is prepared in a few minutes, it’s the classic homemade grandma’s cake.
A fresh fruit dessert, ideal for a healthy breakfast or for the children’s snack, a clever trick to make kids eat fruit!
The batter is a wonderful “joker” with a perfect, creamy consistency and the right density, suitable for any type of fruit cake, indeed you can replace apricots with your preferred fruit: apples, peaches, bananas, figs etc.
You can substitute the spreadable cheese with Greek yogurt, ricotta, or mascarpone, in the latter case use 120 g of sugar instead of 150 g.
Note that the semolina is the one used for Roman-style gnocchi (polenta flour is also fine).
You might also be interested in:
- Peach Ring Cake with Condensed Milk. Batter ready in 5 minutes.
- Rustic Autumn Grape Cake. Easy and Very Soft Traditional Recipe.
- Rustic Ring Cake with Caramelized Figs and Walnuts. Simple and Soft Summer Cake.
- Soft Grape Tart with Lightly Caramelized Grapes. Ready to Bake in 15 Minutes.
- Syrup Peach Cake. Ideal for Summer and Winter!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, August
Ingredients for the Soft Fresh Apricot Cake:
- 14 apricots (fresh)
- 3/4 cup oz apricot jam (not chunky)
- 1 3/4 cups cups all-purpose flour (I use Caputo pastry flour, sifted)
- 1/4 cup cups semolina
- 3/4 cup cups granulated sugar (or 2/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon honey)
- 7 oz oz cream cheese (I use Philadelphia or Quark)
- 1/2 cup cups whole milk
- 2 eggs (whole)
- 3 oz oz butter (softened or 1/3 cup vegetable oil)
- 1 packet baking powder
- 4 tsp tsp rum (or your preferred liqueur)
- 2 tsp tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
- 1 tsp fine salt
Tools
- Bowls Guzzini set of bowls in various colors
- Cutting Board with two incorporated side trays, oven safe
- Mixer electric Philips, with 450 W power
- Springform Pan non-stick, 9.5 inch diameter
Steps for the Soft Fresh Apricot Cake
Wash and pit the apricots, then cut them in half.
Take a rectangular pan measuring 12×16 inches or a round pan with a 9.5-10 inch diameter.
Line the pan with parchment paper and arrange the apricots on the paper, cut side down, as shown in the photo.
Set the pan aside and prepare the cake batter.
Pour the two whole eggs, sugar, and salt into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk for at least 5 min, then add the cream cheese and honey (optional) and beat for 2 more minutes, then add the softened butter (or oil) and whisk again, followed by the jam, rum, and lemon zest, the sifted flour, semolina, and baking powder, mix well and finally, gradually add the milk.
Pour the batter over the apricots and gently tap the pan on the table, allowing the batter to settle well between the apricots.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 40 minutes. Do the toothpick test.
Wait 5 minutes, then unmold the cake onto a serving plate and serve it cold.
Shopping Tips!!!
Very practical and cute this set of colored Guzzini bowls, always useful in the kitchen.
I mixed the cake batter with the powerful Philips mixer with 450 W power and 5 speeds + turbo.
To chop and slice food, I always use this handy cutting board with incorporated side trays: one for waste, the other for sliced food (the collection trays are oven safe).
Very convenient the Zenker non-stick springform pan, for perfectly unmolding cakes without breaking them.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How do you store a fruit cake?
You can store it at room temperature (covered with a glass dome or aluminum foil) for about 2 days or in the refrigerator where it keeps for up to 4-5 days, but take it out of the fridge at least 40 minutes before enjoying.
Fruit cakes can also be frozen (better if already portioned into slices) BUT they need to defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour before being consumed.
