Easy and delicious must be the prerequisites for any loaf cake recipe, and this Apricot and Almond Loaf Cake delivers on both accounts! This recipe makes a vanilla loaf cake flavoured with dried apricots and almond essence, topped with a delicious almond crumble.
If you love homemade cakes, you have to try more of my Easy and Delicious Cake Recipes!
Why This Apricot & Almond Loaf Cake Recipe Works
- Recipe name: Dried Apricot and Almond Loaf Cake
- Ready in: 1hr 10 minutes
- Serves: 10 slices
- Main ingredients: Dried apricots, flaked almonds, flour, eggs, sugar, butter, apricot jam, and almond essence.
- Perfect for: An easy loaf cake recipe perfect for a quick bake or afternoon tea.
- Why I love it: This is the best dried apricot and almond cake ever! I absolutely love the crunchy almond topping that is brushed with apricot jam; it's sticky, sweet, and deliciously nutty.
- Calories: 322kcal
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Loaf cakes have created their own little space in my baking heart because they are so easy. Once they're out of the oven, that's it! No icing, no slicing in half, no layering, no decorating!
If you love loaf cakes, you need to try these Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake and Raspberry and White Chocolate Loaf Cake recipes.
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Key Ingredients
- Cake flour - Choose cake flour for this recipe; all-purpose flour will also work. If you only have self-raising flour, you can use this, just omit the baking powder.
- Dried apricots - I used dried Royal Apricots for this recipe, as I feel they have the best taste. Dried Turkish apricots will also work, but the flavour just won't be as intense.
- Flaked almonds - Flaked almonds are added to the crumble mixture. Their addition also adds great texture to the top of this loaf cake.
- Apricot jam - Once the cake is baked, it is brushed with apricot jam for extra flavour and shine. Smooth or chunky jam can be used.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
This recipe would work well with a variety of dried fruits and nuts, such as dried cranberries and pistachios, or dried cherries and almonds.
If you are tempted to serve this easy loaf cake recipe with custard, try making this Homemade Vanilla Bean Custard. It would also be delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
How to Make an Apricot & Almond Loaf Cake
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), then butter and line a 20x10x6cm (8x4x3 inches) loaf pan with baking paper. Soak the dried apricots in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the water and dry them with a kitchen towel. Slice the apricots into small pieces. Set aside.
- Step 2: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Step 3: Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix again.
- Step 4: Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, add the wet and dry ingredients to the cake batter at low speed. Beat on high speed in 30-second increments until there are no lumps left in the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Fold the tart apricot pieces into the batter, then pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Step 5: To make the crumble, add the flour, butter, and sugar to a mixing bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until combined. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the loaf cake, and then top this with the flaked almonds. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Step 6: Add the jam and hot water to a small bowl and stir to loosen. Brush the top of the cake with the jam as soon as it comes out of the oven. Allow the cake to rest in its tin for 10 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing. To add to the almond flavour, I used almond extract instead of vanilla. And I diced up the dried apricot. This was absolutely delicious!
- Tina
Storage
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container or cover it in aluminum foil and keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days. If it is a very hot day, store the leftover loaf cake in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Allow the cake to cool slightly in its tin before turning it out; this helps prevent the cake from falling apart, which can happen if it is still very hot.
- Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Use an oven thermometer to check the true temperature of your oven.
- Check the cake for doneness by inserting a cake tester into the middle of the cake, if it doesn't come out clean set the timer for a further 3 minutes.
Apricot & Almond Loaf Cake FAQs
This may happen if your ingredients weren't at room temperature, or if you added the eggs without scraping the bowl between each addition. It shouldn't affect the end product; when you add the flour, this issue should rectify itself.
Make sure you use an oven thermometer to test the true temperature of your oven. Understanding how your oven works can be the hardest part of baking, and where most mistakes happen.
Yes, you can, just bear in mind that the baking time may differ. Larger tins will need less baking time, as the cake will be shallower. If you need more help understanding this, read this post: How to Tell if a Cake is Done Baking.
In this recipe, I use sun-dried Royal Apricots since I feel they have the best flavour. Almost sour in taste, which creates a great balance against the sweet vanilla of the cake. This is why I recommend using dried apricots for this recipe rather than sweetened tinned apricots.
To freeze this cake, cut the loaf cake into individual slices, then wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake slices in the fridge overnight, then bring the slices to room temperature before consuming.
More Easy Cake Recipes Without Frosting
If you've just discovered baking and are ready to try out a whole lot of different cake recipes. Then you need to test out some from my collection of The Best Chocolate Cake Recipes for Beginners! And make sure you don't miss this Chocolate Nut Cake, it is one of my favourites!
Happy Baking, With Love, Kitty
Please leave a star rating and comment below if you tried this recipe! And if you're wondering what to try next, have a look at these Double Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies!
📖 Recipe
Apricot and Almond Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 1x loaf tin 20x10x6cm (8x4x3 inches)
Ingredients
Apricot Cake
- 100 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 170 g sugar white, granulated
- 2 eggs extra-large
- 200 g cake flour
- 2½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 175 ml milk whole
- 125 g dried apricots Royal apricots
Almond Crumble Topping
- 30 g brown sugar
- 30 g cake flour
- 20 g unsalted butter cold
- 30 g flaked almonds
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 1 teaspoon boiling water
Instructions
Apricot Cake
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter and line a loaf pan 20x10x6cm (8x4x3 inches) with baking paper.
- Soak the dried apricots in boiling water for 5 minutes or until soft, remove from the water and dry them with a kitchen towel. Slice the apricots into small pieces. Set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time mixing well between each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix again.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, add the wet and dry ingredients to the cake batter at low speed.
- Beat on high speed in 30-second increments until there are no lumps left in the batter, scraping down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula.
- Fold through the tart apricot pieces and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Almond Crumble Topping
- To make the crumble, add the flour, butter, and sugar to a mixing bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until combined.
- Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the loaf cake and then top this with the flaked almonds.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Add the jam and hot water to a small bowl and stir to loosen. Brush the top of the cake with the jam as soon as it comes out of the oven. Allow the cake to rest in its tin for 10 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Some varieties of dried apricots are a little bland in flavour, and this won't be a great addition to your loaf cake. Dried royal apricots have a great tart flavour that is perfect for this recipe.
Gina Jonson says
So easy to make, I used organic apricots and left out the crumble topping and just flaked almonds on the top, absolutely delish! Next time I will add a heap of choc bits . Great easy recipe, I overcooked by ten minutes and it was harder but still delicious.
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Gina! I am so glad you loved this recipe, and the organic apricots must've been delicious in this loaf cake!
Lorna says
Absolutely delicious and super moist! Thank you so much for the recipe!
withlovekitty2020 says
I so glad you liked it Lorna! Thank you so much for the review 🙂
Teresa Arrowsmith says
This cake is easy and delicious love it
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Teresa! Thank you so much for your comment, I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Tina Goetz says
Fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing. To add to the almond flavour, I used almond extract instead of vanilla. And I diced up the dried apricot. This was absolutely delicious!
withlovekitty2020 says
Hi Tina! I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for your comment 🙂