Today is the release date of our second bake of The Home Bakers – a lovely butter cake with pistachio nuttiness and apricot and lemon fruitiness, chosen by Chris from Yummy Bakes.
What is The Home Bakers about you ask? Well let me ask you… Do you have the problem that you bought a cookbook but have only managed to try out a few recipes inside because you 1) have no time to try others 2) have not much interest in other recipes 3) some recipes seemed a little too daunting? Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could say that you’ve tried out all the recipes in a single cookbook?
That’s where The Home Bakers come in! Joyce from Kitchen Flavours started The Home Bakers about two months back and we are going to bake all the recipes in Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas before we move on to another cookbook. We’ve just had our first bake 3 weeks back, so it’s definitely not too late to join us!
Now back to this cake… Making this cake is definitely not difficult, it has the same steps as making a butter / pound cake. Having said that, I believe the quality of butter is very important here, so use the best you can find!
I soaked the apricots before hand to soften them up so that they will not draw moisture from the cake batter while baking. I would love to jazz it up by soaking it in rum but I decided to stay true to the recipe this time 😉
While baking, my cake rose really tall (I chose to use a smaller tin (8×4 inch and 4 inch tall) because I want a tall cake) and the whole kitchen is filled with a fragrant, buttery smell. The top browned a little too fast so I tent it with aluminum foil after 25 minutes. My cake was done in slightly under an hour.
The cake crumbles quite easily (hence best served on a plate) and I had a little problem slicing it because the apricot and pistachio bits kept dropping off the cake!
But all these didn’t deter me from sinking my teeth into this soft, moist, buttery and tender cake:
The lemon taste is quite subtle in my opinion, so I will definitely up the amount used the next time. And I thought the pistachios will be hard and crunchy in the cake, but surprisingly they soften during baking!
All in all I think this makes a wonderful cake for afternoon tea/coffee (but I had it for breakfast as well with orange juice haha!)
Do hop over to Chris’ Yummy Bakes for the full recipe and check out all the bakes on this cake by all other awesome home bakers here.
I’ve posted step-by-step photos should you want to continue indulging in this buttery, nutty and fruity goodness!
Start with 115 grams butter.
Cream with 150 grams sugar.
The creamed mixture should be pale and fluffy.
Beat in 2 eggs – one at a time until fully incorporated.
Combine 1/2 cup (125 ml / 100 grams) plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest in a small bowl.
Add the yogurt mixture into the butter mixture and cream till fully incorporated.
It will look something like this – as if the mixture has curdled but don’t worry it will all come together later.
Combine 185 grams flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl and whisk gently to fully disperse the rising agents and salt evenly into the flour.
The baking soda, being alkaline, will react with the acidic lemon juice and yogurt and give off air bubbles, lifting the cake. The baking powder also helps with lifting the cake.
Fold in the flour in two batches.
The cake batter will be really thick.
Dump in 40 grams unsalted pistachios…
… And 90 – 100 grams chopped dried apricots (I soaked them in hot water for 30 minutes before hand to soften them up and to prevent the apricots from draining away the moisture of the cake).
Transfer the batter to a greased and bottom-lined cake tin. My tin is 8 x 4-inch and about 4-inch tall. The cake will rise a lot, so don’t fill your tin more than 2/3 full.
Bake at 170 degrees Celsius – for my tin, my cake baked for about 55 minutes to 1 hour. I had to cover the top with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent the top from getting burnt.
And voilá! Deliciously browned, buttery, nutty and fruity!
Get the full recipe from Chris’ Yummy Bakes and remember to check out all the bakes on this cake by all other awesome home bakers here!
Happy baking!
[…] previous bakes, check out the Cheese-Swirled Chocolate Cake and the Apricot-Pistachio-Lemon Coffee Cake! Share if you like it!FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrLinkedInEmailStumbleUponDiggRedditPrintLike […]
Thank you for supporting, I hope you’ll like the next upcoming post! 🙂
That sounds like a great flavor combination. I’ll have to keep an eye out and see what you bake next!
Thank you for the compliments! I wish I could send one over! Hope you’ll be able to bake one for yourself soon 🙂
Oh yes Bobbi I am getting the kettle ready, come on over and have a slice! 😉
I have also had it with Milo… love it as well! 🙂
It’s a lot of delicious flavours in a delicious cake, glad you enjoyed it! Hope you’ll be able to bake one slice for yourself soon! 😉
Thank you! I agree, I am planning to make it again, this time maybe with rum n’ raisins! 😉
Thank you Yvette! I think I will use other fruits like raisins the next time!
Thank you Abbygail! Oh how about a slice of cake as well to go with the juice? 😉
Oooh I’m hopping over right now to see what you’ve baked! I wonder what we are baking next? 😉
Lovely photos! This cake looks delish! Wish I could have a bite right now…
I noticed that there are 3 forks out and this little cake looks so moist? What are you doing say around 3pm? Get the kettle ready. Take care, BAM
i love the idea of eating this cake with OJ, so refreshing 🙂
Thank you Lena! It’s a great learning experience when everyone bakes the same cake together 🙂 I’ve been having this cake for breakfast for 3 days and I’m still not sick of it! 😉
Thank you!
It’s really soft as well, hope you will be able to give it a try one day! Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks!
Thank you! The batter is delicious, but I think a chocolate batter is still better! 😉
Thank you for the compliments Eileen! 🙂
I’m sure the rum will make this cake even more delicious! 😉
Thank you for the compliments Joyce! It is indeed a delicious cake! I’ve been having it for breakfast for 3 days! I can’t wait to try the next cake 🙂
Thank you Chaya! I agree, I’ve already reduced the amount by half and still managed to bake such a large cake. I would love to bake this again and change the fillings inside! 😉
I love the flavours in that cake pistachioand apricot with hints of lemon, mmmmmm! I can just imagine the smell of those coming out of the oven
The best part about sticking to the recipe is that you get to make it again! With the rum! Gorgeous cake and beautiful food styling!!
Really love your step by step photos of the making of this cake. I did’t find the need to soak the apricots they wheren’t dry at all. But i really like your suggestion of soaking them in rum or maybe i’ll try something else.
Love this loaf … can I have some orange juice please. LOL. I love your photos Jasline. 😉
Yummyyyy!!!! It looks like we were thinking about same things these days…. I also made something with dried apricots… 🙂
hi jasline, i love your photos and i think it’s really good that all of us are sharing our experiences as we baking thru THB, me too got the same small problem of slicing the cake but it’s a nice cake and also i dont find it that rich making it easier to finish the cake.
Great looking loaf! Looks delicious.
I love coffee cake and sweet breads – this looks really moist and delicious!
Yummy! It looks incredible 😉
This bread looks so beautifully stunning – I bet the batter would have been amazing 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Nice presentation! Great effort in putting up the details. Well done!
Nice clicks! Great idea to soak them up in rum, must file up for future reference 😀
Wow, Jasline, Love your presentation! This is a lovely cake, I’ve enjoyed this one, you are right, the crumbly texture definitely did not keep us from devouring it! You did a great step-by-step pics!! :o)
I love your photos. Making this into a loaf is a good idea. There was so much batter. You have inspired me to make this again and eat it for breakfast. It looks so good with that orange juice.
Thank you Chris! Wow that’s really fast! Bake one again 😉
So pretty – perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. I wish I could bite into one of your slices … mine long gone! 🙁