APRICOT ALMOND CAKE WITH ROSEWATER AND CARDAMOM
This is my idea of a perfect cake: simple, beautiful, fragrant and beguiling. I've been making this sort of cake, in one form or another, since my clementine cake in "How To Eat," and I can't help but feel, with a certain calm excitement, that it has reached its apogee here. This is invitingly easy to make, and while I love the poetry of its ingredients, the cake doesn't overwhelm with its Thousand-and-One-Nights scent. Rosewater can be a tricky ingredient: a little, and it's all exotic promise; a fraction too much and we're in bubble bath territory. One of the things that makes this so easy, is that you can throw all the ingredients into a food processor. But if you don't have one, simply chop the prepared dried apricots and cardamom seeds very finely and then beat together with the remaining cake ingredients.
Provided by Nigella Lawson : Food Network
Categories dessert
Time 20m
Yield 8 to 10 slices
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Put the dried apricots into a small saucepan, cover them with the cold water, and drop in the cracked cardamom pods with their fragrant seeds. Put on the heat, then bring to the boil and let it bubble for 10 minutes--don't stray too far away from the pan, as by the end of the 10 minutes the pan will be just about out of water and you want to make sure it doesn't actually run dry as the apricots will absorb more water as they cool.
- Take the pan off the heat, place on a cold, heatproof surface and let the apricots cool. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4/350 degrees F. Grease the sides of your springform cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Remove 5 of the dried apricots and tear each in half, then set aside for the time being. Discard the cardamom husks, leaving the seeds in the pan.
- Pour and scrape out the sticky contents of the pan into the bowl of a food processor. Add the almond meal, polenta, baking powder, superfine sugar and eggs, and give a good long blitz to combine.
- Open the top of the processor, scrape down the batter, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and the rosewater, and blitz again, then scrape into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the apricot halves around the circumference of the tin.
- Bake for 40 minutes, though if the cake is browning up a lot before it's actually ready, you may want to cover loosely with foil at the 30-minute mark. When it's ready, the cake will be coming away from the edges of the tin, the top will feel firm, and a cake tester will come out with just one or two damp crumbs on it.
- Remove the cake to a wire rack. If you're using apricot jam to decorate, you may want to warm it a little first so that it's easier to spread; rose petal jam is so lusciously soft-set, it shouldn't need any help. Stir a teaspoon of lemon juice into the jam and brush over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and leave the cake to cool in its tin before unspringing and removing to a plate.
ALMOND CAKE WITH APRICOT BRANDY SAUCE
Looking for something a little fancier than holiday cookies? This simple Almond Cake with Apricot Brandy Sauce is the perfect complement to a steaming cup of coffee or tea. Recipe comes from Kerrygold Butter.
Provided by Pinay0618
Categories Dessert
Time 1h
Yield 10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside.
- With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, including yolk, beating well after each addition. Add the preserves, sour cream and extract and beat for 1 minute more.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; lightly fold almond paste into the batter.
- Spread evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the cake is firm when the pan is lightly tapped.
- To prepare sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more. Drizzle over cake slices.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 630.7, Fat 32.6, SaturatedFat 15.7, Cholesterol 119.7, Sodium 243.8, Carbohydrate 81.9, Fiber 2.2, Sugar 56, Protein 6.6
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Ingredients
The almond cake ingredients include almond flour, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. For the apricot brandy sauce, you’ll need a can of apricot halves in syrup, apricot brandy, cornstarch, and sugar.Almond Cake Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Apricot Brandy Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 can of apricot halves in syrup
- 1/4 cup apricot brandy
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preparation
Almond cake with apricot brandy sauce takes approximately an hour to prepare, including the baking and sauce-making process. Here are the preparation steps:Step 1: Almond Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
- Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 2: Apricot Brandy Sauce
- Drain the syrup from the can of apricot halves, reserving 1/2 cup of the syrup.
- In a saucepan, combine the reserved syrup, cornstarch, and sugar.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture is thick and bubbly.
- Stir in the apricots, brandy, and simmer for an additional 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool down.
- Once the cake has cooled down, drizzle the apricot brandy sauce over the almond cake and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Almond cake with apricot brandy sauce pairs perfectly with a dollop of whipped cream and a few apricot halves for garnishing. You can serve the dessert warm or cold, depending on your preferences.Conclusion
Almond cake with apricot brandy sauce is a perfect dessert for any occasion. It is easy to make, with simple ingredients that are readily available in any grocery store. The cake is moist, nutty, and delicious, and it pairs perfectly with the tangy fruit flavors of the apricot brandy sauce. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and a few extra apricot halves for garnishing. Your guests will appreciate the effort you put into creating this beautiful and delicious dessert.Ingredients
Before we dive into the tips, it's important to know the ingredients needed for the recipe. Here is a breakdown of what you'll need:- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup apricot preserves
- 1/4 cup apricot brandy
- 1/4 cup water