Apricot Almond And Ricotta Cake Food

APRICOT & RICOTTA TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Tip all the ingredients for the base, except for the egg, into a food processor and blend until like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blend again to make a paste. Scrape onto the base of a greased 24cm loose-bottomed springform tin, spread with a spatula then bake for 25 minutes until risen and just set.
• Meanwhile beat the ricotta in a bowl with the eggs, soured cream, sugar and vanilla, then when the base has had its 25 minutes, take it out of the oven. Quickly scatter the apricots over the base and pour the cheese mixture on top. Return to the oven for 50 minutes more until the mixture has set and is starting to turn golden round the edges.
• Run a knife round the cake to release it from the sides of the tin then cool and chill. You can make this a day ahead.
• Transport the tin covered with cling film or foil, then turn out and dust with icing sugar when you get there.

APRICOT ALMOND CAKE WITH ROSEWATER AND CARDAMOM

Steps:

• Put the dried apricots into a small saucepan, cover them with the cold water, and drop in the cracked cardamom pods with their fragrant seeds. Put on the heat, then bring to the boil and let it bubble for 10 minutes--don't stray too far away from the pan, as by the end of the 10 minutes the pan will be just about out of water and you want to make sure it doesn't actually run dry as the apricots will absorb more water as they cool.
• Take the pan off the heat, place on a cold, heatproof surface and let the apricots cool. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4/350 degrees F. Grease the sides of your springform cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
• Remove 5 of the dried apricots and tear each in half, then set aside for the time being. Discard the cardamom husks, leaving the seeds in the pan.
• Pour and scrape out the sticky contents of the pan into the bowl of a food processor. Add the almond meal, polenta, baking powder, superfine sugar and eggs, and give a good long blitz to combine.
• Open the top of the processor, scrape down the batter, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and the rosewater, and blitz again, then scrape into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the apricot halves around the circumference of the tin.
• Bake for 40 minutes, though if the cake is browning up a lot before it's actually ready, you may want to cover loosely with foil at the 30-minute mark. When it's ready, the cake will be coming away from the edges of the tin, the top will feel firm, and a cake tester will come out with just one or two damp crumbs on it.
• Remove the cake to a wire rack. If you're using apricot jam to decorate, you may want to warm it a little first so that it's easier to spread; rose petal jam is so lusciously soft-set, it shouldn't need any help. Stir a teaspoon of lemon juice into the jam and brush over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and leave the cake to cool in its tin before unspringing and removing to a plate.

ALMOND-APRICOT FOOD PROCESSOR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter cake pan, then line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment, then sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup almonds.
• Pit and coarsely chop 6 oz. apricots. Pulse salt, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and remaining 2 1/4 cups almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add eggs, vanilla, 6 Tbsp. butter, and half of the chopped apricots; process until very smooth. Add flour and baking powder; pulse until combined, then fold in remaining chopped apricots. Transfer to prepared pan.
• Bake cake until golden brown and the center no longer jiggles when shaken, 60-70 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely.
• Meanwhile, pit and slice remaining 10 oz. apricots. Toss apricots, amaretto, if using, and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Using a whisk or an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream to soft peaks in a large bowl.
• Run a knife around edges of cooled cake and invert onto a platter.
• Serve with macerated apricots and whipped cream alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Let come to room temperature before serving.

APRICOT ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. (If you don't have a springform pan, spray a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.)
• Whisk all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add milk and vinegar; stir to combine. Add oil and almond extract; stir until very well combined, about 60 strokes. Transfer to prepared pan. Note: The gluten in the flour gives this eggless cake structure. Be sure to stir the batter for the full 60 strokes to activate it.
• Arrange apricot halves, cut side up, on top of cake batter. Bake for 30 minutes. During final 2 minutes of baking time, whisk apricot preserves and 1 teaspoon hot water in a small bowl. Remove cake from oven. Brush cake (not apricot halves) with apricot preserve mixture.
• Return cake to oven and bake until light golden and a wooden pick in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool for 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan and let cake cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes

APRICOT AND ALMOND SNACK CAKE

Steps:

• Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
• Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
• Fold in sour cream and almond extract.
• Fold in flour mixture until well blended.
• Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
• Fill pan with about 1/3 of the batter. Spread half the almonds and half the apricot preserves over the batter.
• Cover with remaining batter.
• Sprinkle top with remaining almonds and apricot preserves.
• Bake at 350°F for 1 hour (or until done).
• Cool on rack. Turn out onto plate with topping side up.

APRICOT, ALMOND & PINEAPPLE SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition., Transfer half the batter to a greased 10-in. springform pan. Mix pineapple and apricot preserves; drop by tablespoonfuls over batter. Carefully top with remaining batter. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool completely. Remove rim from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired.

APRICOT, ALMOND & POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 20-23cm round cake tin. If it has a loose bottom, you will need to wrap the outside with foil to prevent any of the caramel from leaking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the apricots, put the granulated sugar and 75ml water into a saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved. When the sugar has melted, bring to the boil and watch the syrup until it starts to turn to a deep amber colour. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until it has melted. Pour into the tin, then lay the apricots in it, cut-side down.
• For the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light with an electric whisk. Add the egg a little at a time, then the zest and almond extract. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then fold them gradually into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. Spoon this over the apricots and bake for 50 mins. To test it's baked, push a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean.
• Leave the cake to cool for 15 mins, then run a knife in-between the cake and the inside of the tin and invert it onto a plate. If any of the apricot halves get left behind in the tin carefully scoop them up - trying to keep their shape intact and not squash them too much - and put them back, cut-side up, on the cake. Leave the cake to cool, or serve warm if you want.
• Heat the apricot jam with 2 tbsp of water. Once the jam has dissolved, push it through a sieve to remove the bits of apricot. Leave it to cool a little - otherwise it overcooks the apricots, which should be perfectly cooked and not collapsing - then paint the jam thickly on the top of the cake. Leave this to set a little, then serve with crème fraîche or cream, if you like.

HEAVENLY HONEY AND APRICOT ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 10 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray or lightly coat with vegetable oil.
• Make fruit layer for the cake by mixing together the first 4 ingredients.
• Then sprinkle the flour over the fruit and stir a few times to blend.
• In a large bowl, mix honey, oil, arrowroot slurry and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, combine the flours, ground almond, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Sift flour mixture into the honey mixture and stir to blend.
• Pour slightly less than half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
• Spoon the fruit mixture evenly over the batter and then cover with the remaining batter.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cover the pan with tin foil and bake another 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out cleanly.
• Cook cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the sides.
• Cool cake completely before slicing.

APRICOT AND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm shallow round cake tin.
• Beat the butter, sugar and almond extract together until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with the second one.
• Add the rest of the flour, the almonds, lemon zest, and milk, and fold in gently. Put the mix into the cake tin and level the top.
• Arrange the drained apricots evenly on top, then put the almonds in between them.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle.

APRICOT & ALMOND FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• Mix the sultanas and sherry and set aside for 1 hr to soak.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a deep, 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin, and line the base and sides with a double layer of baking parchment that comes about 2.5cm above the sides of the tin. In your largest mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one.
• Stir in the flour, baking powder, and the ground and flaked almonds. Next, add the soaked sultanas with any remaining sherry, the dried apricots, the mixed peel, and all the zest and juice. Scrape into the cake tin, smoothing out the surface.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hr 25 mins. Poke with a skewer in the centre to check it is cooked - if the skewer comes out with any uncooked mixture stuck to it, bake for 10 mins more before checking again. Cool in the tin. Decorated, or wrapped in greaseproof paper and foil, the cake will keep for up to a month.