Did The Dried Apricots I Used Affect My Apricot Almond Cake?

Asked by vanking. Answered on 25th October 2018

Full question

Please enlighten me on what I may have done wrong, but the Apricot Almond Cake I made was awful. I followed the recipe but it was just sour and unpleasant and a little dry and dense. I am in the US so I used the converted recipe for cups and I used Blenheim dried apricots which tend to be on the tart side. I was so excited to try it and I am not giving up!

Apricot Almond Cake With Rosewater and Cardamom

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Apricot Almond Cake With Cardamom And Rosewater (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is a fragrant, moist and tender gluten-free cake. Gluten-free cakes are often not as light and airy as traditional sponge cakes. We suspect that the type of apricots used may actually be the cause of the problem.

Blenheim apricots, from California, are a heritage breed and can be difficult to find. They are more tart than most dried apricots and this is probably the reason for the cake not being sweet enough. They are also usually dried quite thoroughly, so would require extra liquid to rehydrate them sufficiently and this is probably the reason for the cake being dry. You need to use the regular dried apricots found in most grocery stores. Look for dried apricots that are slightly plump and soft and are sometimes labelled as "ready to eat". Avoid using "slab" dried apricots and unsulfured versions as these also likely to need extra liquid to rehydrate them. You may also like to try Nigella's Pear, Pistachio And Rose Cake as this is a very moist gluten-free cake that is easy to make.