Sunday Feast № 28 | Apricot or Peach and Almond Cake

When flicking through my cookbooks are got it into my head to make a cake with almond flour or at least almonds. Ultimately, I was looking through Spanish desserts and came upon inspiration. Then some time passed and apricots were in season. I found a recipe for Apricot and Almond Cake by Christina Marsigliese on her Scientifically Sweet blog. Admittedly, it is not as almond-y as I originally thought of, but is has almond flour and almonds and allowed me to incorporate apricots. Fast forward a bit and I tried the same again this time with peaches that appeared in the shops. Both cakes were light and fruity as desired and are highly recommended for tea hour.

175 g sugar 230 ml milk zest of 1 lemon finely grated 1 tbsp vanilla extact 100 ml olive oil 2 egges lightly beaten 190 g all-purpose flour 25 g almond flour 1½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt fresh peaches or apricots cut into quarters flaked almonds for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter 9½-in round spring form cake pan. Place the sugar, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over low heat and warm up while whisking frequently to dissolve the sugar. At most bring it barely to a simmer but do not let it boil. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 15 min or more to infuse and cool down. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk through ground almonds. Add the olive oil, beaten eggs and cooled milk mixture, and whisk gently to form a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the peach or apricot quarters on top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 30-35 min, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (mine took 50 min). Transfer to a wire rack to cool in a pan for 10 min before removing the sides and leaving to cool completely.