This Dried Apricot Almond Cake is bursting with flavour. The gluten-free cake is covered in an orange and almond drizzle, then topped with almonds, candied seeds and orange zest. The showstopping cake is easy to make and tastes delicious with incredible texture!
You're going to love this fruity cake! It's bursting with flavour from the succulent dried apricots and almond orange drizzle. Plus, the texture of the ground almond and polenta sponge is out-of-this-world.
To make it even more special, there's a crown of maple candied seeds. It looks incredible, but is super easy to make!
Tangy sweet fruit, rich almond and crunchy candied seeds. This is pure cake bliss!
If you're looking for a delicious gluten-free cake, or a way to use dried apricots, then this cake is for you!
This recipe has been commissioned by Crazy Jack Organic.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
A flavour-packed apricot cake with dried apricots.
Full of pantry ingredients such as dried apricots, ground almonds and seeds.
The dried apricots add a burst of flavour all through the almond cake.
A gluten-free almond meal and polenta cake with a wonderful texture.
The cake is really easy to make.
The candied seeds are an optional topping but are easy to make and add a great texture and a beautiful presentation.
Be sure to also check out my gluten free Ginger and Pear Polenta Cake.
Ingredients
One of the best things about this recipe is that you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry. It looks like a long list, but it's all general store cupboard stuff.
- Dried Apricots - I use Crazy Jack Organic dried apricots. They aren't bright orange, but that's because they're naturally dried without preservatives (usually sulphur dioxide). They have a wonderful intense apricot flavor and a darker colour.
- Orange Juice - freshly squeezed or from the fridge.
- Ground Almonds - aka almond flour. I use Crazy Jack Organic brand.
- Butter - make sure it's room temperature. Use dairy-free butter if you're making this apricot cake dairy free.
- Caster sugar - aka superfine sugar.
- Eggs - I use free-range organic large eggs.
- Polenta - or fine cornmeal (not quick-cook polenta). Find it in the supermarket with quinoa and other dry grains.
- Baking powder - if necessary, check that yours is gluten-free.
- Almond extract - for a rich almond flavour.
- Powdered icing sugar - also known as confectioner's sugar.
For the Candied Seeds topping, you'll also need:
- Maple syrup
- Brown sugar
- Mixed Seeds - I use Crazy Jack Organic seeds.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Organic
I try to choose organic wherever I can. Heck, I was even voted as the best organic food blog at the Soil Association awards a few years ago.
I get my weekly organic food box for fresh produce, and I opt for organic for store cupboard ingredients wherever possible too.
So, when Crazy Jack got in touch and asked me to create a special summer cake with their 100% natural organic fruits, seeds, and nuts, I jumped at the chance.
They're honestly a brand that I love and am happy to share with you.
The day before they contacted me, I had cleaned out my pantry. I organised my dried fruits and nuts in a pretty wicker basket and there was a lot of Crazy Jack Organic in there! So they're definitely a brand I trust for my organic baking!
Crazy Jack Organic
Crazy Jack started more than 20 years ago with the belief that food should only be grown as nature intended. They're also committed to organic farming to help reduce the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides and encourage the ecosystem to flourish.
They source their organic products from growers around the world. Whether it's sultanas from Turkey where growers tend to the grapes by hand, or coconut grown in small farming villages in Sri Lanka, they work with international farmers who all share their ethos and values.
One of the first organic farming projects they got involved in was growing their dried apricots near Malatya in Turkey.
Like all its products, Crazy Jack’s Organic Dried Apricots never contain
Crazy Jack Organic
preservatives. Their rich flavour comes from being dried naked beneath the sun in the Euphrates Valley. As their sugars caramelise they turn a deep, earthy brown, rather than the orange colour of most apricots, which is caused by using sulphur dioxide as a preservative.
They're encouraging everyone to do their #BestBaking
this August, and get creative in the kitchen, with their organic
baking range which includes:
- Crazy Jack Traditional Dried Apricots
- Crazy Jack Desiccated Coconut
- Ground Almonds from Crazy Jack
- Crazy Jack Mixed Fruit
- Plus loads of other products including sun-dried raisins, toasted coconut chips, sunflower seeds and lots more.
Discover the organic range in stores including Tesco, Sainsbury’s,
Ocado and more.
Follow them at @crazyjackorganic on Instagram and Facebook and check out #BestBaking for more great recipes!
Instructions
Wondering how to make this apricot cake? It's easy! Just follow these step-by-step instructions, then scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredients list and method.
Prep the dried apricots: Chop the dried apricots finely, then add them, along with the orange juice and water, to a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the mixture to cool.
Mix the batter: Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer. Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat well, then fold in the cooled apricot mixture (including any juices from the pan).
Bake: Pour the mixture into the prepared, evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the surface is browned and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool completely.
Candied Seeds: Melt the maple syrup and brown sugar in a frying pan, then stir in the seeds and salt. Cook for a minute until bubbling. Pour onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and leave to cool.
Make the drizzle: Stir the powdered sugar, juice and almond extract together until smooth. Drizzle over the completely cooled apricot cake.
Decorate: Spoon the candied seeds into small scoops and decorate the top of the cake with them, then sprinkle with orange zest, chopped almonds and chopped dried apricots.
Tips
If you still have ground almonds to use up, why not try my homemade marzipan recipe, or almond paste. They're super easy and taste incredible.
Try serving your apricot cake with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storage
Storage: Store the cake in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days.
Freezing: You can freeze the apricot cake without the drizzle or toppings. Wrap the cake in two layers of clingfilm, then a layer of foil and freeze for up to 1 month. To defrost the cake, unwrap it and leave it at room temperature for 3 hours. You can then add the drizzle and toppings.
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📖 Recipe
Dried Apricot and Almond Cake
Ingredients
For the dried apricot cake
- 1 cup (150g) Crazy Jack dried apricots
- ½ cup (100ml) orange juice
- ¾ cup (175ml) water
- ⅔ cup (150g) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- ⅔ cup (125g) caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups (180g) Crazy Jack ground almonds
- ½ cup (100g) polenta or fine cornmeal (not quick-cook polenta)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the orange almond drizzle
- 6 tablespoons powdered icing sugar confectioner's sugar
- 3 teaspoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For the maple candied seeds
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons mixed seeds I used Crazy Jack linseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
To serve
- 1 tablespoon chopped Crazy Jack whole almonds
- 4 Crazy Jack dried apricots chopped
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F. Lightly grease a 23cm/9inch loose-bottomed or springform cake pan and line the base with baking parchment.
- Chop the dried apricots finely, then add them, along with the orange juice and water, to a small pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the mixture to cool.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and smooth. Add the remaining cake ingredients and beat well, then fold in the cooled apricot mixture (including any juices from the pan).
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the surface is browned and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the tin. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before carefully turning out.
For the maple candied seeds
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with baking parchment next to the stove. Heat the maple syrup and brown sugar in a frying pan. When it’s melted, stir in the seeds and salt and cook for a minute until bubbling. Pour the mixture (carefully, it’s hot!) onto the baking parchment, spread out with a wooden spoon or spatula and cool.
For the orange almond drizzle
- Stir the powdered sugar, juice and almond extract together until smooth. Drizzle over the completely cooled cake.
To decorate
- Spoon the candied seeds into small scoops and decorate the top of the cake with them, then sprinkle with orange zest, chopped almonds and chopped dried apricots.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Meling
Fantastic texture, moist and absolutely delicious! My candied seeds stuck to the wax paper; I had to peel off stuck paper- this is a very special cake!
Sarah Jane
What a great way to use dried apricots. I usually put them in the kids lunchboxes but I’ll try this cake next! I love that it’s organic too. I try to use as many organic ingredients as I can afford.
Alison
This cake is so moist and delicious. It's hard to believe it's gluten-free! The almond flavor is spot on!
Joy Alvaro
So moist! I love the candied seeds too.
Beth
You can see how moist this cake is in the photos! Yum! And it's gorgeous too. Can't wait to try it.
Vicky
Those candied seeds look so good. I bet they would make a great snack just on their own. This cake looks like it is just bursting with apricot flavor!
Priya Lakshminarayan
In love with this recipe! Already made it! Thank you.Everyone loved it. Next time I'll do the seeds, but I left them out this time. Still really good.
Shian
Hi, can I just use orange juice instead of water to boil the apricots? Thank you
Kate Hackworthy
Yes, that should be fine!