Why Was My Apricot Almond Cake Darker Than In The Photo?

Our answer

Nigella's Apricot Almond Cake with Rosewater And Cardamom (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is based around a puree made from dried apricots that are cooked with water until very plump and soft. We suspect that in this case unsulphured apricots may have been used, which would give a darker colour.

Apricots are sometimes treated with edible sulphites so that they keep their bright yellow-orange colour when dried. Untreated apricots become quite dark in colour when dried and sometimes have a slightly more caramelly flavour. If the puree is made with the unsulphered apricots it will be darker in colour and the cake will be a little darker than the one shown in the photograph. However both types of dried apricots will work in the cake and both give delicious results.