Fruit & Nuts offers a complete course on cooking with fruit from world-renowned culinary school FERRANDI Paris. Recipes are organised by category-from citrus to tropical-with both sweet and savoury dishes to incorporate fruit into each course. Starting with advice on how to equip your kitchen, the book covers everything from mousses to marmalades, and from tajines to candies. This dried apricot loaf cake is one of many fantastic recipes in its ultimate reference on cooking with fruit, Fruits & Nuts.
Serves 8
Preparation time
Active time: 1 hour
Chilling time: 10–20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Storage: Up to 5 days in a dry place, well covered in plastic wrap, or up to 3 months in the freezer
Equipment
Food processor
2 pastry bags + plain 12mm and 10mm tips
16cm × 8cm loaf pan
WHAT YOU NEED
Dried apricot jam
3 ½ tbsp (50ml) water
45g dried apricots
70g apricot puree
Cake batter
Generous ½ cup (135g) lightly beaten egg (about 2 ¾ eggs)
¾ cup (135g) superfine sugar
1 stick plus 1 tbsp (135g) butter, diced and softened
½ cup minus 1 tbsp (50g) all-purpose flour
Generous 2 tbsp (22g) custard powder
½ tsp (2g) baking powder
Scant 1 cup (90g) almond flour
55 g dried apricot jam (see above)
40g dried apricots, finely chopped
Almond dacquoise
Scant ½ cup (100g) egg white (about 3 whites)
Scant 1/3 cup (60g) superfine sugar
1 cup (100g) almond flour
¼ cup (35g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp (20g) all-purpose flour
To assemble
Butter for the pan
Scant ¼ cup (20g) sliced almonds
Decoration
2tbsp (1oz./30g) apricot glaze, warmed
Dried apricot jam
A few candied apricots, cut lengthwise into strips
WHAT TO DO
PREPARING THE DRIED APRICOT JAM
Place the water and dried apricots in a bowl and microwave on high for 1minute until the apricots have softened. Drain, place in the food processor with the apricot puree, and reduce to a coarse puree. Chill until assembling.
PREPARING THE CAKE BATTER
Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and thick. Gradually whisk in the butter until combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, custard powder, baking powder, and almond flour. Gradually fold into the whisked mixture until just combined. Finally, fold in the dried apricot jam and dried apricots. Chill the batter until baking.
PREPARING THE ALMOND DACQUOISE
Whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the superfine sugar until the peaks are firm and glossy. Sift the almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and all-purpose flour together. Gradually sprinkle over the meringue, folding in each addition using a flexible spatula before adding the next. When combined, spoon the batter into a pastry bag with the (12mm) tip.
ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C/Gas Mark 3). Grease the loaf pan with butter and cover the base and sides with the sliced almonds, lining them up end to end in neat rows. Freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 20 minutes, so the butter firms up and holds the almonds in place. Pipe the dacquoise batter over the base and up the sides of the pan to cover the almonds. Pour the cake batter into the centre. Bake for 4 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C), cover the cake with a sheet of parchment paper and a wire rack, and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
DECORATING THE CAKE
When the cake has cooled to room temperature, trim the ends. Brush the warm apricot glaze over the top and sides of the cake. Spoon some of the remaining dried apricot jam into a pastry bag with the 10mm tip and pipe a line down one side of the top of the cake. Arrange the candied apricot strips attractively over the jam.
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