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Apricot Streusel Cake
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
This is just one of those cakes that fits into any situation. Similar to a blueberry buckle, you can serve this for breakfast, brunch, afternoon snack or dessert. Because of the crème fraîche (or sour cream) the cake tastes light and is very moist and tender. The apricot flavor is layered throughout the cake giving you plenty of that bright apricot zing with each bite. It is a great cake to bring on a picnic, weekend getaway, or as a hostess gift. Plus, it keeps well for a couple of days, if it lasts that long.

Almond extract or bourbon are great complimentary flavors with apricots. I like to use either one with this cake or a combination of both instead of vanilla. 

This recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Strawberry Sour Cream Streusel Cake.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword: apricots, cake, coffee cake
Servings: 8 people
Author: Ginger
Ingredients
Apricot Purée
  • 7 oz (200 g) fresh apricots about 5-6 small apricots
  • 3 TB (72 g) apricot jam
  • 1 ½ tsp (4 g) minced fresh ginger a small piece just over an inch long and a half-inch wide
  • 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) fresh squeezed lemon juice *see notes
  • ½ tsp (2 g) almond extract *see notes
  • 2 tsp (6 g) cornstarch
  • Smidgen pinch of Kosher salt if needed
Streusel Cake
  • 2 cups (309 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (164 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp (4 g) baking powder
  • ½ tsp (2 g) baking soda
  • 12 TB (188 g) cold butter 1 ½ sticks cut into ½ inch pieces
  • 1 cup (8 oz / 225 g) crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ tsp (8 g / 7.5 ml) almond extract or 1 TB (15 ml) Bourbon
Streusel Topping
  • 2 tsp (13 g) Demerara sugar
  • 8 g sliced almonds (small handful)
  • 2 fresh small apricots
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5 with the rack in the middle position. Oil or butter a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. Reserve until later.
Make the apricot purée
  1. Peel and cut up the apricots then place in the blender or container for an immersion blender. Add the apricot jam. Zest the lemon peel and grate the ginger over your container or blender to catch any of the lemon oils and juices from the ginger.
  2. Make a slurry with the almond extract, lemon juice, and cornstarch then add to the blender or your container. Purée until smooth. Taste the purée and if it seems too bitter, add a smidgen pinch of Kosher salt. Taste again then set aside. The flavors will balance out when added to the cake. 

Make the cake
  1. In a large bowl add the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Use a small whisk and stir the mixture until evenly incorporated. Add the butter and use your fingers to smoosh the butter and mix in with the flour mixture. Do this until your flour looks like coarse sand, just like making a pie crust by hand. Measure a ½ cup (125 ml) of the flour mixture and add to a small bowl. Reserve for the streusel topping.

  2. Add the crème fraîche or sour cream, egg, and almond extract (or bourbon) to the large bowl with the flour mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. This batter looks thick, but it should be smooth.
  3. Add just over half the batter to the prepared pan and spread over the bottom and up the sides of the pan. You want to create a flat bottom well for the purée to rest. Try to get the batter about an inch up the sides. Do not worry about making the bottom level even. The batter is sticky, and I found wet hands helps move the cake batter into position. 

  4. Add the apricot purée in an even layer across the bottom and nestled inside the well. Make sure the rim of cake batter is taller than the height of the purée. Spoon the remaining cake batter on top and cover the purée being careful not to push the apricot purée up and over the rim.
Make the streusel topping
  1. Add the sugar and almond slices to the small bowl with the reserved butter-flour mixture. Toss with a fork or your fingers until it is evenly combined. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the top of the cake.
  2. Slice each apricot in half then each half into five wedges. Arrange the sliced apricots over the top of the cake in a haphazard pattern. Sprinkle with a few more sliced almonds.
  3. Bake the cake until it is light golden brown, about 45 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake to make sure it is cooked through. You will see some crumbs on the toothpick, but nothing should look wet or raw.

  4. Completely cool the cake on a wire rack before you remove the springform pan and serve.
Recipe Notes

In the original recipe, Nigella added 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the fruit purée. I divided the liquid between the almond extract and lemon juice. Almond extract is strong, so I do not recommend using 2 teaspoons in the recipe. However, I have used anywhere from 1/2 tsp up to 1 tsp with good results. Feel free to divide the lemon juice and almond extract equally, or only use lemon juice. However, keep the total liquid at 2 teaspoons.

I peeled off the skin of my apricots, but I will leave that decision to your discretion. Apricot skins do not have that fuzzy offensive texture of peach skin, so I do not believe it is necessary to peel them. The apricots peels will purée thoroughly in a blender or with an immersion blender.

If you cannot get fresh apricots, use canned apricots packaged in their own juices as a substitute. Dry off the can juices from the apricots then weigh or guesstimate by size pairing the halves to make 5 apricots for the purée. There is no need to peel canned apricots.

Minced candied ginger is a nice addition to the streusel topping. Don’t go overboard with the candied ginger as the apricot is the star of the cake. Nutmeg is another spice that pairs well with this cake. Add about a half teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg in the cake batter to complement the apricots and almond flavor.