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a slice of upside down apricot cake
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4.42 from 24 votes

Easy Apricot Cake (Upside-Down)

This easy apricot cake, upside-down style, is probably the best apricot cake you could make. Definitely, my favorite apricot recipes ever!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 12
Calories: 196kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Rectangular baking dish of about 21x32 cm/ 8x13 inch

Ingredients

  • Butter-Sugar-Apricot Layer:
  • 100 g unsalted butter 3.5 oz/ ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon
  • 100 g granulated sugar 3.5 oz/ ½ cup
  • 750 g small apricots 1.7 lbs, a bit more or less as needed
  • Batter Layer:
  • 4 eggs
  • 80 g granulated sugar 2.8 oz/ ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 80 g all-purpose flour 2.8 oz/ ⅔ cup
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • whipped cream for serving optional

Instructions

Butter, Sugar and Apricot Layer

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Butter baking dish: Take a rectangular baking dish of about 21x32 cm/ 8x13 inch and smear it with the 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon butter all over, bottom and walls of the dish. You will have a thick layer of butter all over.
  • Sprinkle 100 g/ 3.5 oz/ ½ cup sugar only on the bottom of the baking dish.
  • Halve the apricots 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.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the fruit starts to get soft and wrinkly.

Batter Layer:

  • Beat egg whites: Shortly before the baking time for the apricots is up, separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add 80 g/ 2.8 oz/ ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar and the lemon juice and continue beating until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Set aside.
  • Remove the cake 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 over the egg mixture and fold in very carefully again; you should not overdo it either.
  • 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 the baking time. Check after 20 minutes and reduce the temperature to about 160 degrees Celsius/ 320 degrees Fahrenheit if you think the cake already has too much color.
  • Rest: After the baking time is over, take the cake out of the oven. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the batter layer comes out clean. Leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Turn cake on a platter: Then, run a knife around the edges of the cake to release it correctly from the walls of the baking dish. Next, place a rectangular serving dish on the baking dish and reverse the cake onto the serving dish.
  • 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.
  • Cut the cake into squares and enjoy warm or cooled with some whipped cream on the side, if you wish.

Notes

Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link).

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g