Apricot Almond Cake with Rosewater and Cardamom

Difficulty: Easy
Serves: 8 to 10 slices
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories 293, Total Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Carbohydrates 34 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sugar 25 g, Protein 9 g, Cholesterol 112 mg, Sodium 84 mg
Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes

Imagine a cake that whispers elegance on your palateone that's deceptively simple to prepare yet tastes like you've spent hours in the kitchen. This Apricot Almond Cake represents the pinnacle of a recipe evolution that began years ago, combining understated sophistication with intoxicating aromas that won't overwhelm your senses.

The magic lies in balance. Rosewater is delicate: a whisper of exotic allure rather than a heavy fragrance reminiscent of bubble bath. Paired with warm cardamom and jewel-bright apricots, this cake achieves a harmony that feels both comforting and refined. The beauty of this recipe is its accessibilityeverything comes together in a food processor in minutes. No processor? Simply finely chop the dried apricots and cardamom seeds, then mix by hand. This is the cake for those moments when you want to impress without the stress.

Ingredients

150 grams (5.3 ounces) dried apricots
250 milliliters (1 cup) cold water
2 cardamom pods (cracked)
Nonstick cooking spray or sunflower oil for greasing
200 grams (7 ounces) almond meal
50 grams (1.8 ounces) fine polenta (not instant)
1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
150 grams (5.3 ounces) superfine sugar
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon rosewater

To decorate:

2 teaspoons rose petal jam or apricot jam
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped pistachios

Special equipment: 20-centimeter (8-inch) round springform cake tin

Place the dried apricots in a small saucepan, cover them with cold water, and add the cracked cardamom pods along with their aromatic seeds. Heat the pan until boiling and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Stay nearby because by the end of this time the water should be nearly evaporated to avoid drying out the apricots as they absorb liquid when cooling.
Remove the pan from heat and transfer it to a cool, heatproof surface to let the apricots cool. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180C (350F/Gas Mark 4). Grease the sides of your springform tin and line its base with baking parchment.
Take 5 apricots from the pan, tear each in half, and keep aside for decoration. Discard the cardamom pods but leave the seeds in the pan.
Transfer the sticky contents from the pan into a food processor bowl. Add almond meal, polenta, baking powder, sugar, and eggs. Blitz thoroughly to mix well.
Open the processor lid, scrape down the batter, then add lemon juice and rosewater. Blitz again until blended, then pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the surface with a spatula. Arrange the apricot halves around the inside edge of the tin decoratively.
Bake for about 40 minutes. If the cake browns too quickly before cooking through, loosely cover it with foil around the 30-minute mark. The cake is done when it starts pulling away from the sides of the tin, the top feels firm to touch, and a tester inserted comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
Transfer the baked cake to a wire rack. If using apricot jam for glazing, warm it slightly to ease spreading; rose petal jam's soft texture usually requires no warming. Mix lemon juice into the jam and brush it over the cake's surface. Sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios and let the cake cool completely in the tin before removing the springform collar and transferring to a plate.

Store the cake in an airtight container in a cool place for 5 to 7 days. In warmer climates or heated rooms, refrigerate it. This cake can be made in advance and frozen for up to 3 months, though nuts may soften slightly after thawing. Wrap the completely cooled cake (still on the springform base) tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and cover with foil. To thaw, unwrap and leave on the tin base at room temperature for approximately 4 hours.

Simply Nigella by Nigella Lawson, Flatiron Books 2015.