Apricot Cake
A delicious German inspired cake with fresh extra virgin olive oil replacing the traditional butter. It's a great basic recipe and works well with pretty much any fresh fruit, or you can also use canned. Tasmanian Chef Eloise Emmett has developed a fabulous version of this for her new book "The Tasmanian Pantry Cookbook 2" using quince and lavender, which is perfect for a sophisticated morning tea!
Servings 10 portions
Ingredients
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil (=1/3 cup)
- 80 g raw sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 50 ml soured milk 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar + 3tbsp milk
- 160 g self-raising flour
- Pinch of salt
- 10 fresh apricots about 500g, washed, halved, and pitted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170degC.
- Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with a strip of baking paper that overhangs the sides (to help remove the cake after baking).
- In a large bowl, beat olive oil with the sugar and vanilla.
- Beat in the eggs and lemon zest.
- Beat in the soured milk (make this up a few minutes in advance).
- Add the flour and salt, and beat in until just combined.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Place the apricot halves on top, cut side down (4 rows of 5 halves, some slightly overlapping, works well in my tin), and push in a little.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool in the tin until firm enough to handle, then lift out using baking paper strip and finish cooling on a wire rack.