Apricot sponge cake

· by · in Cakes, traybakes and loaves. ·

apricot sponge

One of my friends invited me to tea – as she often does on Sundays – and I decided to make this cake to take with me (I hate showing up empty-handed!). Fortunately I knew it was her birthday and embellished the cake a bit with a couple of orchids because, when I arrived there, instead of the usual group of about 6 people, there was a party going on!

There was another cake of course – a chocolate one bought at a bakery shop – because nobody knew I was making one, but I’m proud to say that mine got polished off in minutes and there was about ¼ of the chocolate cake left.

Actually, it’s simply a sponge cake sandwiched with apricot purée and whipped cream. But oh, so yummy! 🙂

SPONGE CAKE
(Source: Jamie Oliver)

INGREDIENTS
225g unsalted butter, room temperature
225g self-raising flour, sifted
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease the bottom and sides of two 20cm sandwich cake tins with butter. Line the base of each tin with greaseproof paper, then dust the sides lightly with flour.
Beat the butter and sugar together, until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in well before you add the next. Fold in the flour gently with a metal spoon.
Divide the cake mix into the prepared tins and spread it out using a spatula. Bake in the hot oven for around 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and risen.
Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the tins, then carefully turn them out on to a rack to cool completely.

APRICOT PURÉE

INGREDIENTS
250g dried apricots
water, enough to cover apricots

METHOD
Simmer apricots and water in a medium saucepan until they get tender.
Discard most of the water, leaving about 1-2 cm in the bottom of the pan. Puree apricots with a hand blender or blender and allow it cool before applying.

ASSEMBLING
Put one of the sponges upside down on the centre of your serving platter or cake stand. If it’s a little rounded on top, simply trim and flatten it off by using a sharp knife and rotating the plate and sponge as you cut.
Apply the apricot purée generously and then a layer of whipped cream.
Place the second cake (upside up) on top and dust it with icing sugar.

apricot sponge 2

NOTES: I don’t add any sugar because apricots are sweet enough for me but it can be adjusted to your taste.
I used my stabilised whipped cream instead of regular whipped cream because I knew the cake wouldn’t be served immediately.

17 responses to “Apricot sponge cake”

  3. Lovely cake Erika! And I just love that we can continue to make deserts with apricots even when they’re out of season, no? Thank goodness for dried fruits!

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  5. This is so beautifully decorated my friend, and who needs strawberry – apricot is the flavour to be with 😀
    Lovely!

    Cheers
    CCU

    P.S Unfortunately, I have lost around 1000 subscribers on my blog, and I have no idea how, so if you were subscribed, would you be able to resubscribe? Thank you!

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    • Thank you, dear! Apricots lend an interesting tangy character to this sponge 🙂
      I’m still subscribed to your blog, I’m afraid if I try to resubscribe I’ll end up unsubscribing. I’ve just checked and everything is working fine.

      Like

  6. Flowers are a passion of mine and I love the way you have so tastefully decorated the top of the cake with an orchid – I must remember this one!

    Like

  7. Pingback: Apricot sponge cake | homethoughtsfromabroad626·

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