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Apricot Nut Cake

A delicious and moist European style almond flavored cake made with dried apricots, pine nuts, and almonds.

Apricot Nut Cake

One thing leads to another. It started with a simple email and then resulted with the inspiration to bake this cake. My friend Terry sent me an email asking if I wanted to go play. Well, of course I did. It is very rarely I turn down an opportunity to go play. The plan was to go check out a new HomeGoods store, visit some other stores, and have lunch. Shopping? Oh yes! Lunch meant sushi, double oh yes!

Confession: I have a weakness for kitchen gadgets. I cannot seem to get enough. The Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table catalogs are like the old Sears Christmas catalogs except they come all throughout the year. I get excited every time one arrives. The wish list keeps growing. While I would love to go out today and buy everything in the store, that is not reality. I do whatever I can to find the items I desire at a good bargain price.

I found the dried apricots when I was shopping. The Apricot Nut Cake is the first thing I thought of when I saw them. I had not made this cake in a long while. It reminds me of a European cake or torte because it is not too sweet. As much as I dearly love and adore frosting, there are some times I want a simple treat without it. I adapted the recipe from one I found on the Food Network website. It is by Giada De Laurentiis and you can find the original recipe here. How about a slice right now?

A slice of Apricot Nut Cake

What has inspired you to cook or bake something lately? Was it a meal you had out somewhere? Or an item you have spotted in a store? It is so interesting how inspiration can either come from or lead to food. The fun thing is to follow through and see where the adventure takes you.

PS. I am testing a new recipe format below. I still have some tinkering to do with it. Let me know your opinion so I can tweak it and make it easy for you to print or save the recipes found here on Magnolia Days.

A slice of Apricot Nut Cake
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Apricot Nut Cake

A delicious and moist European style almond flavored cake made with dried apricots, pine nuts, and almonds.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 10 slices
Calories 422 kcal
Author Renee

Ingredients

  • ½ cup whole almonds toasted
  • ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
  • ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
  • ¼ cup pine nuts raw
  • cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting cake pan
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • cups sugar
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1½ sticks, melted and cooled
  • cup milk at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup dried apricots chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place it in the pan. Grease the paper. Dust/sprinkle the pan with flour and tap to coat pan evenly then upside down over the sink to remove excess. Set pan aside.
  2. Add the whole almonds and ¼ cup toasted pine nuts to a food processor fitted with a knife blade. Process until the nuts are finely ground but do not over process or you will get a nut butter. Transfer the ground nuts to a medium bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer on medium-high speed until mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. Add the melted butter and milk and beat to combine. Stir in the almond extract and apricots by hand. Add the flour/nut mixture and gently stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the top with the sliced almonds and raw pine nuts. Bake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes until done. Cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester is inserted and comes out clean. Completely cool cake in the pan on a wire rack. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pan by turning it upside down on the wire rack. Remove parchment paper if it is on the bottom of the cake. Invert the cake on to a cake plate or platter. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

A delicious and moist European style almond flavored cake made with dried apricots, pine nuts, and almonds.

Nutrition Facts
Apricot Nut Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 422 Calories from Fat 225
% Daily Value*
Fat 25g38%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 102mg34%
Sodium 148mg6%
Potassium 281mg8%
Carbohydrates 44g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 29g32%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 760IU15%
Calcium 72mg7%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Recipe Rating




Myra

Sunday 17th of September 2023

Years ago I had a similar cake, and I have been searching for the recipe ever since. This looks so similar but I’m pretty sure it had pecans ir walnuts. Do you think that would work with this recipe?

Katie Moseman

Monday 18th of September 2023

Adding nuts should be no problem at all.

Karriann

Wednesday 15th of February 2012

This looks really good! Can I have a slice? ;)

"Happy Cooking"

Renee

Wednesday 15th of February 2012

Sure! Sending a slice to you virtually.

Liz

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

I have some dried apricots that I've been snacking on...they'd be marvelous in your cake!

Renee

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

Yes! That and some almonds and pine nuts and you are all set and ready to bake.

amy @ fearless homemaker

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

looks delicious! + your new recipe format looks great - i like it!

Renee

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

Thanks Amy! Still working on the recipe thing-y but so far so good. I appreciate the feedback very much.

cynthia at the daily basics

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

This looks amazing and my family loves apricots- they will go crazy over this! Thanks for posting Renee! BTW -your site is GORGEOUS!

Renee

Tuesday 14th of February 2012

Thanks Cynthia! Hope you and your family enjoys the cake.