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.
APRICOT ALMOND CAKE WITH ROSEWATER & 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. 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. (Recipe courtesy Simply Nigella)
Provided by Nigella Lawson
Categories Dessert
Time 1h30m
Yield 8-10 slices
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Equipment: 1 x 20cm/8-inch round springform cake tin.
- 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°C/gas mark 4/350ºF. 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.
- STORE NOTE: Store in an airtight container in a cool place for 5-7 days. In hot weather (or if the central heating's on) keep in fridge.
- FREEZE NOTE: The cake can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months (though the nuts may soften slightly on defrosting). Wrap the fully cooled cake (still on the springform tin base) tightly in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. To defrost, unwrap and leave it (still on the tin base) on a plate at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 342.9, Fat 16.6, SaturatedFat 2.2, Cholesterol 139.5, Sodium 104.1, Carbohydrate 41.5, Fiber 5, Sugar 30, Protein 11.3
APRICOT ALMOND TORTE
This pretty cake takes a bit of time, so I like to make the layers ahead of time and assemble the day of serving, making it an easier option for entertaining. -Trisha Kruse, Eagle, Idaho
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 1h10m
Yield 12 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt; gradually fold into egg mixture alternately with the whipped cream., Transfer to two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake 22-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in extract. Fold in whipped cream., Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with another cake layer; spread with half the preserves. Repeat layers. Frost sides of cake; decorate the top edge with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with almonds.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 546 calories, Fat 25g fat (12g saturated fat), Cholesterol 115mg cholesterol, Sodium 284mg sodium, Carbohydrate 75g carbohydrate (51g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 8g protein.
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Ingredients
To make an apricot almond polenta cake, the following ingredients are required:- 1 cup of polenta
- 1 cup of almond flour
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of diced dried apricots
- 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
Instructions
To make an apricot almond polenta cake, follow the steps below:- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the polenta, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually fold in the wet mixture into the dry mixture until well combined.
- Mix in the diced dried apricots into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased springform pan and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top of the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- Remove from oven and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Variations
Here are some variations that you can try for an apricot almond polenta cake:- Use fresh apricots instead of dried ones for a fresher taste.
- Add in 1/4 cup of honey for a sweeter cake.
- Replace the Greek yogurt with sour cream for a tangier flavor.
- Use sliced pistachios instead of sliced almonds for a different nut flavor and color.
- Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for an extra layer of sweetness.