Almond-Apricot Food Processor Cake

From the kitchen of Carly

Butter and almond meal give this cake a tender crumb while fresh apricots add bright tartness throughout. Baked low and slow until golden, it's the kind of dessert that tastes fancier than it is, especially since a food processor does most of the work.

Almond-Apricot Food Processor Cake

Ground almonds replace flour here, giving the crumb a dense, tender sponge that stays moist for days. The food processor does all the work, grinding nuts and folding in fruit in one bowl. Fresh apricots macerate while the cake cools, their juice mingling with a whisper of amaretto before whipped cream crowns the whole thing.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 6 tbspunsalted butter, plus more for pan
  • 2 1/2 cupblanched sliced almonds , divided
  • 1 lbapricots, divided
  • 1/2 tspkosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cupplus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
  • 3 largeeggs
  • 1 tspvanilla extract
  • 3/4 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tspbaking powder
  • 1 tspamaretto
  • 2 cupheavy cream
  • 1A 9-inch cake pan

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter the cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, butter the parchment, then scatter 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds evenly across it.

  2. Pit and coarsely chop 6 ounces of the apricots. In a food processor, pulse the salt, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and the remaining 2 1/4 cups almonds until finely ground. Drop in the eggs, vanilla, 6 tablespoons butter, and half the chopped apricots, then process until very smooth. Add the flour and baking powder, pulse just until combined, and fold in the rest of the chopped apricots by hand. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

  3. Bake until the top is golden brown and the center holds still when you gently shake the pan, 60 to 70 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely before touching it again.

  4. While the cake cools, pit and slice the remaining 10 ounces of apricots. Combine them in a medium bowl with the amaretto (if using) and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, toss well, and leave them to macerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream with a whisk or an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.

  5. Slide a knife around the edges of the cooled cake to loosen it, then invert it onto a serving platter.

  6. Spoon the macerated apricots and whipped cream alongside each slice to serve.

  7. The cake can be baked up to 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then bring it to room temperature before serving.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Process the almond-sugar mixture until it looks like fine sand before adding eggs and butter, otherwise you'll end up with grainy pockets instead of a smooth batter.
  • Don't skip the parchment on the bottom and sides of the pan, even with butter. This cake is delicate and benefits from extra insurance when you flip it.
  • Macerate those fresh apricots while the cake bakes and cools. The longer they sit, the more syrup pools at the bottom of the bowl, which is exactly where you want it.

Variations

  • Skip the amaretto and add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to the macerated apricots instead, for brightness that cuts through the nuttiness.
  • Swap apricots for fresh plums or peaches, following the same pit-and-slice method. Plums especially will give you deeper color and more natural tartness.
  • Make it dairy-free by whipping chilled coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt to the coconut cream to balance the sweetness.

Make ahead and storage

Keep the cooled cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Slice it cold or let it come to room temperature before serving. Freezing is not recommended because the crumb softens after thawing.