Apricot and Almond Loaf Cake

This apricot and almond cake recipe is for a delicious vanilla loaf cake flavored with dried apricots, and almond essence. Before baking, the loaf cake is topped with a delicious crumble topping filled with flaked almonds. After baking, the cake is brushed with apricot jam. Honestly, this cake is just too good to skip. 

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… just a super simple brush of warmed apricot jam in this case and then it's time to serve. 

If you love loaf cakes, try this Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake or this Raspberry and White Chocolate Loaf Cake recipe. And, if you're after great cake recipes take a look at this Bounty Cake recipe or this Vanilla Chocolate Cake. 

Ingredients

To make this delicious apricot and almond cake recipe, you will need the simple cake ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

• Unsalted butter 
• Granulated white sugar 
• Extra-large eggs 
• Cake flour 
• Baking powder 
• Salt 
• Vanilla extract 
• Almond extract 
• Whole milk 
• Dried apricots 
• Brown sugar 
• Flaked almonds 
• Apricot jam 

Extra-large eggs - out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams, if you aren't sure if you have the same eggs then weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

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.

Flaked almonds - for extra almond flavor, 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 flavor and shine. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for apricot and almond cake

To make this apricot cake follow the simple instructions below.

STEP 1: Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter and line a loaf pan 20x10x6cm (8x4x3 inches) with baking paper.

STEP 2: Prepare apricots. 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 3: Beat butter and sugar. Add the butter and sugar to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy.

STEP 4: Add eggs and essences. 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 5: Add wet and dry ingredients. 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.

STEP 6: Beat until smooth. 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.

STEP 7: Add apricots. Fold through the tart apricot pieces and pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Instructions for Crumble

STEP 1: Make the crumble. To make the crumble, add the flour, butter, and sugar to a mixing bowl and rub them together with your fingertips until combined.

STEP 2: Top cake with crumble. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the loaf cake and then top this with the flaked almonds.

STEP 3: Bake. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

STEP 4: Brush with jam. 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 20 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack, serve and enjoy!

Hint: For the best results, ensure the eggs and butter are at room temperature before making this recipe. 

What is a Loaf Cake?

It's a cake baked in a rectangular tin rather than a round tin. It is as simple as that!

Loaf cakes truly are the answer to any baker's need to whip up something quick. For this recipe, I have used my go-to vanilla cake recipe, thrown in some almond essence and dried apricots, and baked it in a loaf pan instead of a round pan. This recipe is perfect as it domes when baking, and that is exactly what you want when you're baking a loaf cake. Give me all of that height!

How to Make a Moist Loaf Cake

Since loaf cakes are not layered with icing, cream, or jam the actual cake itself needs to be perfect. And by perfect, I mean moist, you don't want a dry cake that makes you long for butter, whipped cream, or custard. You want it perfect as it is. As Mark Darsy says to Bridget Jones… I like you very much, just as you are. That's the kind of feeling you want when tasting your loaf cake. Enjoying it, just as it is.

Variations

I haven't tried making this recipe with different fruit but I think it would work well with a variety of dried fruits and nuts. So, if you try this recipe using other fruits, please let me know in the comments below!

Equipment

You don't need any special equipment to make this loaf cake recipe, just a stand or hand-held electric whisk, a spatula, parchment paper, and a rectangular loaf tin.

I also always recommend using an accurate kitchen scale when baking for the best results.

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.

To freeze this cake, cut the loaf cake into individual slices and wrap each slice of cake 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.

The combination of the tart apricots and the vanilla cake is the perfect balance of sweet and sour, making this recipe great for everyone whether or not you have a sweet tooth. Save this recipe for the next time you are hosting afternoon tea or looking for a quick and easy Sunday treat. 

If you love this simple apricot almond cake recipe, please leave a comment and star review below - I love hearing about your kitchen stories!

Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and follow along @with_love_kitty to make sure you never miss a recipe!

Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty