Apricot Almond Cake With Rosewater and Cardamom
by Nigella. Featured in SIMPLY NIGELLAIntroduction
This is my idea of a perfect cake: simple, beautiful, fragrant and beguiling. This is invitingly easy to make, and while I love the poetry of its ingredients, the cake doesn’t overwhelm with its Thousand-and-One-Nights scent. Rosewater can be a tricky ingredient: a little, and it’s all exotic promise; a fraction too much and we’re in bubblebath territory.
One of the things that makes this so easy, is that you can throw all the ingredients into a food processor. But if you don’t have one, simply chop the prepared dried apricots and cardamom seeds very finely and then beat together with the remaining cake ingredients.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
This is my idea of a perfect cake: simple, beautiful, fragrant and beguiling. This is invitingly easy to make, and while I love the poetry of its ingredients, the cake doesn’t overwhelm with its Thousand-and-One-Nights scent. Rosewater can be a tricky ingredient: a little, and it’s all exotic promise; a fraction too much and we’re in bubblebath territory.
One of the things that makes this so easy, is that you can throw all the ingredients into a food processor. But if you don’t have one, simply chop the prepared dried apricots and cardamom seeds very finely and then beat together with the remaining cake ingredients.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: 8-10 slices
For the Cake
- 150 grams ready to eat dried apricots
- 2 cardamom pods (cracked)
- 200 grams ground almonds
- 50 grams fine polenta (not instant)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if required)
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- nonstick spray (or sunflower oil for greasing)
To Decorate
- 2 teaspoons apricot jam (or rose petal jam)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2½ teaspoons very finely chopped pistachios
For the Cake
- 1¼ cups ready to eat dried apricots
- 2 cardamom pods (cracked)
- 2 cups almond meal
- ⅓ cup fine polenta (not instant)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if required)
- ¾ cup superfine sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- nonstick spray (or sunflower oil for greasing)
To Decorate
- 2 teaspoons apricot jam (or rose petal jam)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2½ teaspoons very finely chopped pistachios
Method
You will need: 1 x 20cm/8-inch round springform cake tin
- Put the dried apricots into a small saucepan, cover them with 250ml/1 cup of cold water, and drop in the cracked cardamom pods with their fragrant seeds. Put on the heat, then bring to the boil and let it bubble for 10 minutes — don’t stray too far away from the pan, as by the end of the 10 minutes the pan will be just about out of water and you want to make sure it doesn’t actually run dry as the apricots will absorb more water as they cool.
- Take the pan off the heat, place on a cold, heatproof surface and let the apricots cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. Grease the sides of your springform cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Remove 5 of the dried apricots and tear each in half, then set aside for the time being. Discard the cardamom husks, leaving the seeds in the pan.
- Pour and scrape out the sticky contents of the pan into the bowl of a food processor. Add the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, caster sugar and eggs, and give a good long blitz to combine.
- Open the top of the processor, scrape down the batter, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and the rosewater, and blitz again, then scrape into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the apricot halves around the circumference of the tin.
- Bake for 40 minutes, though if the cake is browning up a lot before it’s actually ready, you may want to cover loosely with foil at the 30-minute mark. When it’s ready, the cake will be coming away from the edges of the tin, the top will feel firm, and a cake tester will come out with just one or two damp crumbs on it.
- Remove the cake to a wire rack. If you’re using apricot jam to decorate, you may want to warm it a little first so that it’s easier to spread; rose petal jam is so lusciously soft-set, it shouldn’t need any help. Stir a teaspoon of lemon juice into the jam and brush over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and leave the cake to cool in its tin before unspringing and removing to a plate.
You will need: 1 x 20cm/8-inch round springform cake tin
- Put the dried apricots into a small saucepan, cover them with 250ml/1 cup of cold water, and drop in the cracked cardamom pods with their fragrant seeds. Put on the heat, then bring to the boil and let it bubble for 10 minutes — don’t stray too far away from the pan, as by the end of the 10 minutes the pan will be just about out of water and you want to make sure it doesn’t actually run dry as the apricots will absorb more water as they cool.
- Take the pan off the heat, place on a cold, heatproof surface and let the apricots cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. Grease the sides of your springform cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
- Remove 5 of the dried apricots and tear each in half, then set aside for the time being. Discard the cardamom husks, leaving the seeds in the pan.
- Pour and scrape out the sticky contents of the pan into the bowl of a food processor. Add the almond meal, polenta, baking powder, superfine sugar and eggs, and give a good long blitz to combine.
- Open the top of the processor, scrape down the batter, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and the rosewater, and blitz again, then scrape into the prepared tin and smooth with a spatula. Arrange the apricot halves around the circumference of the tin.
- Bake for 40 minutes, though if the cake is browning up a lot before it’s actually ready, you may want to cover loosely with foil at the 30-minute mark. When it’s ready, the cake will be coming away from the edges of the tin, the top will feel firm, and a cake tester will come out with just one or two damp crumbs on it.
- Remove the cake to a wire rack. If you’re using apricot jam to decorate, you may want to warm it a little first so that it’s easier to spread; rose petal jam is so lusciously soft-set, it shouldn’t need any help. Stir a teaspoon of lemon juice into the jam and brush over the top of the cake, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and leave the cake to cool in its tin before unspringing and removing to a plate.
Additional Information
STORE:
Store in an airtight container in a cool place for 5–7 days. In hot weather (or if the central heating’s on) keep in fridge.
FREEZE:
The cake can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months (though the nuts may soften slightly on defrosting). Wrap the fully cooled cake (still on the springform tin base) tightly in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. To defrost, unwrap and leave it (still on the tin base) on a plate at room temperature for about 4 hours.
STORE:
Store in an airtight container in a cool place for 5–7 days. In hot weather (or if the central heating’s on) keep in fridge.
FREEZE:
The cake can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months (though the nuts may soften slightly on defrosting). Wrap the fully cooled cake (still on the springform tin base) tightly in a double layer of clingfilm and a layer of foil. To defrost, unwrap and leave it (still on the tin base) on a plate at room temperature for about 4 hours.
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Show more commentsAbsolutely lovely to look at and to devour! So, so good. I made it for mom’s birthday. We bake with rosewater all the time so I knew this was going to be wonderful!! Thank you, Nigella.
I made this cake as a break from cream and sugary cakes over Christmas! It was fabulous! Full of ‘yumminess’ and looks so pretty jewelled with apricots and glazed with apricot jam, the chopped green pistachio nuts finish it off perfectly so don’t skip this stage. Excellent for a dinner party. I followed exactly to the recipe, baking for an additional 3 minutes; glad I loosely covered with foil at the 30 minute stage of baking. Don’t be tempted to add more rose water. The quantity gives a subtle flavour. Any more would overwhelm the other flavours! It’s moist and delicious. Slightly heavy than a sponge cake but not as dense as many bakes are with bananas. Bake and enjoy! Thank you for sharing Nigella.
A PERFECT cake recipe! No sugary icing to be scraped off. Full of ingredients that I love: apricots, almond meal, whole cardamom, rosewater, and pistachios Plus of course whipped cream on the side! Is superfine sugar the same as blitzed regular American sugar? Maybe more cardamom?
I love Nigella's flourless cakes, and this one is one of the very best. The combination of the apricots, rosewater, and cardamom really sings! This kind of cake also has an almost mousse-like texture that is unlike anything else. Easy, exotic, and can be made ahead. Great after Indian or Middle Eastern mains!
I made this yesterday - I added extra ground cardamom , extra rose water and some raw ground pistachio meal to the batter ( I’m Greek I love those flavors) - for the topping I had rose petal jam from a Greek Orthodox monastery from last summer (it was gorgeous) . Thank you for the recipe it’s fantastic as are you ! X
Thank you Nigella for this recipe. Both my kids have sweet tooth and I pretty much end up baking a cake every week. Although sometimes I try healthy recipes as well, recipes which are gluten and sugar free. I am going to try this today. Was wondering if I could use honey or maple syrup instead of caster sugar! Has anyone tried this?
What a nice combination of flavours! And love that I can just throw it all in my magimix. I always use a little less sugar then Nigella likes to use, around 130 gr. I was a bit afraid I had too much water left after boiling the apricots in it (only halfway through I took the lid off) But the texture turned out just fine. I taste a hint of rose in the background but can't notice the cardamom, so next time I may use a bit more of that ( I love cardamom). Keep the gluten-free recipes coming please!
Just a note of caution if baking this to be gluten free. Some non-stick greasing sprays contain gluten. Always check the labels, gluten sneaks into places you’d never imagine.
This cake was a lovely, moist delight. I'm Indian and the notes of rose, pistachio and almond reminded me of the flavours of the desserts of my own country. I found the cake a bit too sweet for my taste so I might take out a couple of tbsps of sugar next time and serve it with something tart like a dollop of craime fraiche.
It is the best cake I have ever made. I made it today for Christmas and the cake is already tasting heavenly. I have to grind the almonds and make the polenta myself as these are not available at our local stores. But the cake is worth the hard work that goes into making this cake. Thank you Nigella for sharing this wonderful recipe with us.
This was really interesting to make and I guess a bit different to any of the other cakes I make usually. This definitely has a Middle Eastern vibe to it and I’d say it tastes even better on 2nd day for some strange reason. All in all a beautiful cake that is not too sweet at all and beatiful and moist.
I really love this recipe. It is very simple, and the combination of apricots, rosewater and cardamom is so fragrant and gorgeous - it was devoured in no time!