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.
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
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