Almond & Apricot Olive Oil Cake

This is probably one of the most Italian cakes on this site. My parents are Italian and I grew up in a very Italian household, cherishing my Nonna and Nonno who spoiled us with their love and great food. This Almond Apricot Olive Oil Cake is so flavorful, beautiful and incredibly moist with fresh apricots, ground almonds, olive oil and a hint of lemon. It reminds me of so many Italian desserts not only for its flavors, but for its simplicity. Italian desserts aren't known to be incredibly decadent. Rather, they're known to showcase fresh produce and high quality ingredients. Nevertheless, this cake is just exceptional and it just always works! You can substitute apricots with any other stone fruit and it is beautiful. It's the kind of cake that you can whip up in time for last minute guests to enjoy warm, cold or at room temperature. If you love the idea of this recipe, check out my Strawberry Almond Cake and Raspberry Almond Cake as well!

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Simple and easy recipe - this cake is super simple to make with minimal steps and basic ingredients.
• Super soft and moist texture - the texture of this apricot cake is everything! It is so moist and spongy that you will not want to stop eating it.
• Lemon olive oil cake - the wonderful aroma of lemon, vanilla and almond with olive oil makes this cake so special.
• Fresh apricot cake - apricots really shine with all of the other Mediterranean flavors in this cake, but I have also made it with peaches and plums. Any stone fruit will work!
• Crunchy almond sugar topping - this is such a nice contrast to the soft cake and the almonds get so nice and toasty on top!

INGREDIENTS FOR ALMOND APRICOT OLIVE OIL CAKE

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Olive Oil - this recipe is all about the olive oil. It makes it stand out. That being said, you can still make this cake perfectly successfully with any neutral oil. It will just have no taste from the olive oil. Oil also makes this cake texture soft since it is liquid at room temperature.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate the flavor. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Eggs - two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the soft crumb in this raspberry almond cake recipe.
• Lemon zest - a hint of lemon zest makes this cake so special! It pairs very nicely with olive oil and apricots.

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great in this recipe, but if you have cake flour on hand, you can replace half all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will make an even more tender loaf. Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to dry cake, so be sure to measure accurately using a scale or the spoon and sweep method.
• Almond flour - I use fine blanched almond flour for this recipe which has a finer texture than almond meal. You can also use almond meal and it will still turn out great.
• Sour Cream - this adds tanginess and richness to this lovely cake. You can use plain full fat or Greek yogurt if you do not have sour cream.
• Milk - warm the milk gently before adding it to the batter. This will help it incorporate evenly and start to swell the starch for a super moist texture.
• Apricots - you absolutely need fresh fruit for this recipe. You can use any stone fruit such as peaches, plums, tangerines or pluots too.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR APRICOT OLIVE OIL CAKE

This recipe is simple to prepare and you can make it with an electric hand mixer, although using a whisk with some vigorous beating will work too!

• STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, ground almonds, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend evenly so there are no lumps of sugar.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Add olive oil, eggs, sour cream and vanilla and begin whisking to break up the yolks of the eggs. The mixture will be thick. Before it is all combined, pour in the warm milk and whisk until it forms a smooth batter.
• STEP 3). Prepare the batter in the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Arrange sliced apricots on top in any way you like while being sure to place them right to the edges of the pan and not just in the center because then the middle of the cake will be slow to bake through. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.
• STEP 4). Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edges of the pan and remove the sides of the springform. Let cool on the rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Do not reduce the sugar. The right amount of sugar will keep this cake tender so do not try to reduce it.
• Rub the sugar with the lemon first. For extra lemon flavor, rub the lemon zest with the sugar separately to coat the sugar granules with lemon oils. This will help carry the lemon flavor through the batter for a more intense lemon taste.
• Sift the dry ingredients. In order to get a smooth batter and soft, light texture, it is important to break up any lumps in the flour. This will also help it hydrate more quickly into the wet ingredients and minimize the amount of mixing required to create a smooth batter.
• Do not over-mix. Just the ingredients together gently as over-mixing can create tunnels or holes in the baked cake.
• Arrange the fruit right to the edges of the pan. If you focus the fruit towards the center then the batter will be more wet there and it will take longer to cook all the way through which means the edges may dry out before the middle is cooked.
• Do not over-bake. This cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean and the top is evenly golden.

RECIPE FAQ

If you love fruity cakes, check out these other recipes:

Creamy Raspberry Cheesecake (no Water Bath!) Light & Luscious Lemon Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

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