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    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Sweets > Cakes

    Apricot Cake

    Published by: Adina May 5, 2020 ยท Last modified: September 6, 2024 11 Comments
    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image with the title the best apricot cake.

    This upside-down apricot cake recipe is probably the best and easiest apricot cake recipe you can make. It's definitely my favorite!

    one slice of upside-down apricot cake on a plate and a small glass behind it.

    No kidding. I love thisย apricot cakeย so much that I could easily eat it every week for a while. It is so quick and easy to make that if it weren't for all the other cakes I would like to try, I could really make this every week.

    Preparing everything takes about 15 minutes, and the steps are so easy that even my 5-year-old daughter could almost make it by herself. This apricot cake is great if you enjoy baking with your kids.

    Check out more easy cakes, such as Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cake, Moist Orange Bundt Cake, Blitzkuchen, or Apple Olive Oil Cake.

    Jump to recipe
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to make apricot cake?
    • How to invert the upside-down cake?
    • More apricot recipes
    • Recipe
    • Apricot Cake

    Recipe ingredients

    Fresh apricots: I chose to make it with apricots because they are plentiful at the moment, and we all love them so much, but you could make this cake any time of the year and with whatever fruit you have. You could try it with sweet or sour cherries, nectarines or peaches, apples, plums, etc.

    • If you have a glut of apricots, learn How to Preserve Apricots or make this delicious Apricot Sauce.

    Butter to thickly grease the baking dish. You will not need extra butter for the batter (people have asked).

    Granulated sugarย is thickly sprinkled on the buttered baking dish, and some is used for the batter.

    Other ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, and lemon juice.

    This apricot cake is another vintage recipe I found in Silvia Jurcovan's Cookbook. I told you a bit more about her in this post about theย Greta Garbo Cake a few weeks ago. Like that one, this cake was spot-on - just perfect!

    How to make apricot cake?

    Butter and sugar layer

    baking dish butter with lots of butter for making cake with apricots.

    Step #1: Thickly butter the baking dish; use all the butter indicated in the recipe card.

    butter and sugared bakind dish for making making cake with apricots.

    Step #2: Cover the buttered baking dish with a thick layer of sugar.

    The butter isn't mixed into the cake batter; you use it to coat the baking dish generously. The halved apricots are placed on top of the sugar, and they partially cook in the butter-sugar mixture before the batter is added on top.

    Apricot layer

    half-baked apricot cake in a baking dish.

    Step #3: Add the halve fruit to the baking dish.

    baked apricots halves for making cake in a baking dish.

    Step #4: Bake for 20-25 minutes until the fruit starts to get soft and wrinkly.

    By this time, the sugar and butter will have melted together, forming a sweet and buttery sauce for the apricots. The fruit needs to cool for about 3 minutes before covering it with the batter.

    Batter layer

    batter for apricot cake in a baking dish before baking.

    Step #5: Make the cake batter and spread it over the baked apricots.

    apricot cake covered with golden brown batter in a baking dish.

    Step #6: Continue baking the apricot cake for 30 minutes. Make the toothpick test.

    Be careful when folding the egg yolks and flour mixture into the egg whites. Use a hand whisk, not an electric mixer, and fold gently with as few movements as possible. This will help the cake rise nicely.

    Opening the oven too early might cause the apricot cake to sink. After 20 minutes, you can check the cake if necessary. If you feel it's getting too dark, reduce the oven temperature to 320ยฐF/ 160ยฐC.

    Bake

    inverted upside down apricot cake on a platter.

    Step #7: Let the cake rest for 5-10 minutes, then carefully invert it on a large platter.

    sliced apricot cake pieces.

    Step #8: Let the cake cool, then cut into squares.

    At first glance, you might think the cake is undercooked because the butter-sugar layer will look rather wet. But it is not undercooked or wet; it is just glossy because of the butter and the sugar.

    How to invert the upside-down cake?

    After removing the apricot cake from the oven, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges to loosen it.

    Choose a rectangular serving platter slightly larger than your baking dish. Place the platter on top of the dish, using mittens to protect your hands, and carefully flip the cake onto the platter. The cake should fall onto the platter easily.

    Youโ€™ll see three layers: The fluffy cake, the apricots, and the butter-sugar layer. The butter-sugar layer may look wet, but itโ€™s just glossy from the butter and sugar; itโ€™s not undercooked. See the picture above for reference.

    severeal square of cake with shiny apricots halves on a platter.

    More apricot recipes

    • super creamy slice of apricot cheesecake garnished with lemon balm leaves.
      Apricot Cheesecake
    • apricot trifle decorated with whipped cream in a bowl.
      Apricot Trifle
    • apricot jam without pectin in a jar and a few fresh apricots around it.
      Apricot Jam without Pectin
    • dish with chicken breast and apricots overhead view.
      Fresh Apricot Chicken

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    Recipe

    apricot cake square on a vintage plate.

    Apricot Cake

    This upside-down apricot cake recipe is probably the best and easiest apricot cake recipe you can make. It's definitely my favorite!
    4.42 from 24 votes
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    Course: Cakes
    Cuisine: Romanian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 pieces
    Calories: 196kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • Rectangular baking dish of about 21x32 cm/ 8x13 inches
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    Butter-sugar-apricot-layer

    • 100 g unsalted butter โ…“ cup + 1 tablespoon, Notes 1, 2
    • 100 g granulated sugar 3.5 oz/ ยฝ cup
    • 750 g small apricots 1.7 lbs, a bit more or less as needed

    Batter layer:

    • 4 eggs large
    • 80 g granulated sugar โ…“ cup + 1 tablespoon
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 80 g all-purpose flour 3 oz/ โ…” cup
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • whipped cream for serving, optional

    Instructions

    Butter, Sugar and Apricot Layer

    • Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC/ 350ยฐF.
    • Butter baking dish: Butter its bottom and walls with all the butter. You will have a thick layer of butter all over.
      100 g unsalted butter/ โ…“ cup + 1 tablespoon
    • Sprinkle the sugar only on the bottom of the baking dish.
      100 g granulated sugar/ ยฝ cup
    • Apricots: Halve them and remove the stone. If the apricots are very large, you could quarter them. Then, place the apricots on the sugared pan carefully, cut side up, taking care not to disturb the sugar too much; the sugar should not come on top of the fruit.
      750 g small apricots/ 1.7 lbs
    • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the fruit starts to get soft and wrinkly.

    Batter Layer:

    • Beat egg whites: Separate 4 eggs shortly before the baking time for the apricots is up. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add sugar and lemon juice and continue beating until stiff and glossy. Set aside.
      egg whites + 80 g granulated sugar/ โ…“ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • Remove the baking dish from the oven. Leave to stand for 3 minutes.
    • Make the batter: In the meantime, carefully fold the egg yolks into the egg white mixture. Use a hand whisk to do this, and don't overdo it. Next, add the mixed flour and baking powder to the egg mixture and fold in very carefully again; you should not overdo it either.
      egg yolks + 80 g all-purpose flour/ โ…” cup +1 teaspoon baking powder
    • Bake: Spread the mixture over the fruit, level nicely, and bake for about 30 minutes. Don't open the oven during the first 20 minutes of baking (Note 3). Check after 20 minutes and reduce the temperature to about 160ยฐC/ 320ยฐF if you think the cake already has too much color.
    • Check doneness with a toothpick; it should come out clean. Remove the apricot cake from the oven.ย Leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Invert the cake: Then, run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the walls of the baking dish. Place a rectangular serving dish on the baking dish and reverse the cake onto the serving dish (Note 4).
    • Cut the cake into squares and enjoy warm or cooled with some whipped cream on the side, if you wish.

    Notes

    1. Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
    2. The butter isn't mixed into the cake batter; you use it to coat the baking dish generously. You will not need any butter for the cake batter.
    3. Opening the oven too early might cause the apricot cake to sink. After 20 minutes, you can check the cake if necessary. If you feel it's getting too dark, reduce the oven temperature to 320ยฐF/ 160ยฐC.
    4. Tip: At first glance, you might think that the cake is undercooked because the butter-sugar layer will look rather wet. But it is not undercooked or wet; it is just glossy because of the butter and the sugar.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1piece | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

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    Comments

    1. Barbara says

      July 03, 2022 at 10:45 pm

      Why not beat the flour and baking soda into the egg yolks and then fold in the egg whites?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        July 04, 2022 at 6:54 am

        I suppose the batter is even airier when flour is only folded in gently at the end.

        Reply
    2. Barbara says

      January 09, 2019 at 11:59 am

      I am very lucky then because I estimate that I would have picked between 25-30 kgs off our tree in the last fortnight. A bumper crop! It has obviously been a good year for them in Melbourne, Australia.

      Reply
    3. Barbara says

      January 06, 2019 at 12:46 am

      I have had a glut of fabulous apricots in the last 10 days. I have made jam, chutney, stewed some and frozen them, given some away and eaten lots. But still they come! I came across this recipe and made it two days ago for a crowd. It was a HUGE success so much so that I made it again the next day. It is light, tangy and absolutely delicious and the recipe is very clear with foolproof instructions. A keeper for sure! Thank you Adina.

      Reply
      • Adina says

        January 07, 2019 at 11:12 am

        Hi Barbara, thank you for your feedback, I am so glad you liked the cake as much as we do. And you are so lucky with all the apricots, they are in season here in June, July, but I can never get as many as I would wish for as they do not grow in Germany (too cold for them, I suppose) and that makes them expensive. I can only buy them in the supermarket, but they are rarely as sweet and aromatic as I remember them from my childhood in Romania.

        Reply
    4. Rebecca says

      February 23, 2018 at 12:07 am

      Note for future bakers: I made the mistake of using a loose bottomed tin....all my caramel escaped!
      Still looks delicious...have to wait for the birthday boy to confirm the taste.
      Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        February 23, 2018 at 8:02 am

        Oh sorry, Rebecca, a casserole dish is better in this case. I hope your birthday boy likes it, it is my daughter's favorite cake, we've just made it together again on Sunday, with plums this time. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    5. Adina says

      February 19, 2018 at 5:51 pm

      Thank you, Julie. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    6. Julie says

      January 09, 2018 at 10:29 am

      I have just put this in the oven, when I realised the second lot of butter didn't go in. After re-reading the recipe, I can't find where it goes in! I can't see the need for more butter though. Hopefully it turns out ok!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        January 09, 2018 at 1:57 pm

        Hi Julie. The instructions about the butter are at the very beginning. You were supposed to smear the baking dish very thickly with all the butter.

        Reply
        • Julie says

          January 10, 2018 at 12:15 am

          Thanks Adina; yes it turned out ok in the end. I think I could use even less butter next time. The batter seemed to be swimming in it!

    4.42 from 24 votes (24 ratings without comment)

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