Little Apricot Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat muffin cups with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another medium bowl, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until combined. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions alternately with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Divide batter among muffin cups (cups will be only 1/3 full) and smooth the tops. Top with apricot slices and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake until cakes are golden and a tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let pan cool 5 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack and let cool completely. Cakes can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little of the butter to grease a 9-inch round baking pan with a removable bottom. Dust the pan with a little of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Cream the remaining butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture and the vanilla.
• Spread the batter in the baking pan. Arrange the apricot slices on the top. Put in the oven and bake about 25 minutes, until the top of the cake looks fairly firm and is just beginning to brown.
• Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned. Remove from the oven, allow to cool 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Serve the cake while it is still warm, with creme fraiche, whipped cream or vanilla frozen yogurt on the side.

Steps:

• Tip the sugar into a deep, ovenproof frying pan. Place over a high heat until caramelised, remove from the heat, then lay the apricots, cut side down, in the caramel, quartering some of the apricots to fit into the gaps. Set aside. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• To make the cake batter, use an electric whisk to cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the milk and saffron, if using. Fold in the flours and ground almonds, then beat until combined.
• Spoon dollops of the batter over the apricots and smooth over with the back of a spoon. Bake for 40 mins until puffed up and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 mins. Invert the cake onto a plate and leave to cool. Cut into wedges. Serve with crème fraîche, if you like.