Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam

No fresh apricots, no problem! This easy recipe for dried apricot jam is made, of course, with sweet soft dried apricots and it’s delicious! 

A common ingredient in pastry glaze in classic French patisserie and fruit tarts, apricot jam or preserves are readily available in French grocery stores but they aren’t as easy to find in other places. In the Channel Islands, where we spend half the year, it’s just an hour’s boat ride from France. So shops there sell it too. 

In Norfolk, England, where some dear friends live, apricot preserves are hard to come by so I’ve been known to carry jars to them in my suitcase when we visit. 

If you saw my post from yesterday where I shared cheater pain aux raisins using puff pastry, you also read that I couldn’t find apricot jam here in Houston! Well, to be fair, I only went to one store and decided on the spot to buy dried apricots and make my own, rather than traipsing all over town looking. I’m sure elsewhere in Houston I could find it but I was too lazy to try.

If you too find yourself short of apricot jam and shopping motivation, here's the recipe.

Dried Apricot Jam

The recipe makes a not-quite-full jam jar (Bonne Maman, 13 oz or 370g capacity) of jam, perfect for making glaze or spreading on toast. 

Ingredients 

6 oz or 170g dried apricots 

1/2 cup or 100g sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch fine sea salt

Method

In a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water to just cover the apricots and leave to soak overnight or for at least six hours.

I left mine overnight. 

Mince the apricots in a food processor with their soaking water.

Add the apricots to a pan along with the sugar, lemon juice and salt.

Heat gently till sugar has dissolved then boil steadily (it should be bubbling) till it reaches a good jammy thickness. 

Keep an eye on the pot and stir often. 

I used a thermometer and mine never reached the ideal jam set temperature of 222°f or 106°C but it got quite thick and actually started to catch and darken a little so I deemed it done. 

Spoon into a sterilized jar. I put a metal spoon in mine to keep the glass from breaking when the hot jam is added. I don't really understand the thermodynamics but it seems to work. Screw lid on tight and turn the jar over. 

Leave to cool. The lid should form a suction and pop in when it has cooled and you turn it back over. 

If it does not, store it in the refrigerator. 

Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 4th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2025, brought to you by the letter D. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the D recipes below:

• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Double Dark Chocolate Waffles
• Blogghetti: Dragon Fruit Smoothie Bowl 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Dutch Macaroni 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Date Salad, Ottolenghi Style 
• A Messy Kitchen: Sugarplum Date Balls 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chicken with Dates
• Palatable Pastime: Balkan Lamb and Rice Casserole (Djuvec) 
• Magical Ingredients: Dill Pickle Dip 
• Food Lust People Love:Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Dal Sultani 
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Sun-Dried Tomato Dip with Italian Seasoning

Here are my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam – this post!

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Apricot Pistachio Cake #BakingBloggers

Sweet chewy dried apricots and flavorful roasted pistachios combine with lots of creamy yogurt and butter to create one of the richness cakes you can imagine. A hint of cardamom in the batter is echoed again in the orange-cardamom syrup to finish the cake with a Middle Eastern flair.

Apricots and pistachios are two of my favorite ingredients both singly and together. If you feel the same, you will like my Apricot Upside Down butter Bundt and my pomegranate pistachio muffins. My favorite joint venture of the two (before this cake!) is a gorgeous baked Camembert topped with pistachios and dried apricots. It's the easiest, tastiest appetizer you'll ever make.

Besides making me do the happy dance, since apricots and pistachios are popular in Middle Eastern desserts this cake fits our Blogging Bakers theme for this month. Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see the other sweet and savory recipes we are sharing.

Apricot Pistachio Cake

This recipe is adapted from one by the talented Anita Schecter on The Spruce Eats. If you love Middle Eastern recipes of all kinds, you should visit Anita, who I am pleased to call my friend. She also shares wonderful recipes of all sorts (so many great cocktails!) on her personal website.

Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 1/2 cups or 190g all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups or 300g sugar
1 cup or 226g unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup or 245g Greek yogurt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz or 170g roasted, unsalted pistachios
6 oz or 170g dried apricots

For the syrup:
1/2 cup or 50g sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice (or water)
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

Optional for serving:
Greek-style plain, unsweetened yogurt

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 11x15 inch or 28x38cm pan by buttering and flouring it or lining it with baking parchment. If you are lining it, put a couple of dabs of butter on the pan to help the parchment stay in place.

Roughly chop about 1/4 of the pistachios and set aside a couple of spoonsful for sprinkling on the cake when it’s done. Put the rest into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground, occasionally scraping the sides with a rubber spatula. Do not over process. We don’t want pistachio butter.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the ground and chopped pistachios and whisk again.

Chop the apricots into small pieces and set aside a couple of spoonsful for decoration. Add the balance of the apricots to the dry ingredients. Use your hands to separate the sticky pieces and make sure they are completely coated in the flour mixture.

Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until they become fluffy and light yellow. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the yogurt and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat until well combined. Spoon the thick batter into your prepared pan and spread it evenly to the side and into the corners with a spatula.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile make the syrup by warming the sugar, juice and salt in a small pot over a low flame. Spoon it over the cake while it is still warm.

Sprinkle on the reserved chopped pistachios and apricots.

Leave to cool. If you have lined the pan with baking parchment, you can use the sides to remove the cake from the pan. If not, cut into squares to serve directly from the pan.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

Enjoy!

This month my Baking Bloggers are sharing Middle Eastern recipes. Many thanks to our doyenne and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other recipes below:

• Apricot Pistachio Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Basbousa Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
• Cottage Cheese and Veggies Borek from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Middle Eastern Puff Pastry Cheese Bourekas by Fatih, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Laffa Bread from Making Miracles
• Lebanese Sesame Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mana'eesh (Palestinian Flatbread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Parda Pulao - Iraqi Parda Plau from The Schizo Chef
• Roast Chicken Shwarma from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Umm Ali from Caroline's Cooking

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

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