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Roasted Apricot Olive Oil Cake (With a Hint of Rosemary)

This roasted apricot olive oil cake is such a simple and divine dessert, full of citrus zest and fresh minced rosemary, with a perfect texture. It's the perfect snacking cake, I dare you not to eat it all in one sitting!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Additional Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Desserts

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ROASTED APRICOTS
  • 200-225 g of ripe apricots 4-6, though I sometimes add in more for leftovers
  • 70 g of granulated sugar
  • 45 g of fresh orange juice remember to zest first!
  • 30 g of fresh lemon juice remember to zest first!
  • 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
  • THE CAKE
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • Zest of 2 small/medium lemons or 1 giant one
  • 1-2 tablespoons of finely-minced fresh rosemary
  • 135 g of caster or granulated sugar
  • 2 medium eggs 105g; honestly I use large because that's what I have
  • 110 g of quality olive oil about 1/2 cup
  • 75 g of plain thick greek yogurt
  • A splash of almond extract
  • 75 g of semolina fine
  • 75 g of fine almond flour or almond meal, in a pinch
  • Scant teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • <b>Roast your apricots:</b>  Pre-heat oven to 325 F (305 F convection).  Cut your apricots in half and remove the stones.
  • Place apricot halves in a shallow roasting tray and sprinkle the sugar, citrus juices, and almond extract over them. Don’t forget to zest your citrus fruits before you juice them!  Mix gently with your hands.  
  • Roast for 15-20 minutes until the apricots are soft.  Carefully pour the syrup off and set both the apricots and the syrup aside. 
  • <b>Make the cake:</b>  Keep the oven at the same temp.  Prep an 8-inch round cake tin (I used springform, for ease of removal, but regular is fine too).  Spray with non-stick spray and then lay down a round of parchment.
  • Add your citrus zest and minced rosemary to the sugar and rub between your fingers to release the oils.  Add to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.
  • Next whisk in the oil, yogurt, eggs, and almond extract.
  • Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix in well...don't overmix, you want everything just combined.  The batter will be very liquid.
  • Pour into your lined cake tin and then gently place your roasted apricot halves around the cake.  Sometimes I cut some of them into smaller pieces and fill in gaps, sometimes I just use the big ones.
  • Bake for 45-55 minutes, until it is golden and the middle doesn't really jiggle when shaken. 
  • When it comes out of the oven, prick the top of the cake all over with a toothpick and pour some of the syrup over it (you definitely won't use all of the syrup).  Leave to cool in the pan.
  • Enjoy! It's amazing by itself, but you can also add some creme fraiche or something creamy if you desire.  It's even better the next day, and should keep for around 5 days in something airtight (I can't confirm because it's always gone in 24 hours in my house!).

Notes

  1. You can totally swap in other stone fruit if you'd like (you may need to roast it longer, particularly something with a thicker skin like plums or nectarines). But I strongly recommend apricots.
  2. I've played around with how to make a gluten-free version of this as well. I've swapped polenta for the semolina and while it *works*, I didn't love it as much. You could try that, but I'd maybe try instead just swapping almond meal or ground oats for the semolina? Both give some texture and body, but aren't actually crunchy. Let me know if you find a gluten-free combo that works great!
  3. It's easy for the middle to be underbaked and gooey, especially if you have an apricot right in the middle. Don't be scared of the cake getting a bit darker gold in color.  I've found that it's best when I leave it in 3-5 minutes longer than my instinct would tell me.