This gluten free Apricot Cake with Pine Nuts is an Italian-style dessert that is ever so moist and decadent. You would never know it, but this cake is completely grain free!
A Gluten Free, Grain Free Italian-Style Apricot Cake
I love, love, love Italian food, and not just the pasta – Italian desserts totally have my heart as well. This tender, luscious apricot cake is what you would expect to find at a sidewalk cafe in Italy. Great to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning, afternoon, or after dinner.
This is also a great cake to have on the counter when you have house guests, because the cake has a subtle, mild flavor that even the pickiest eaters will fall in love with. I should know, because this is one of my brother-in-law’s favorite recipes… Not that I’m saying Vince is a picky eater, or anything. *cough, cough*
Why You’ll Adore This Cake
Let’s break this down. Why should you try making my gluten free apricot cake? Here we go:
- Diet-Friendly. If you have family or friends who are sensitive to gluten, avoiding grains, or need a dairy-free dessert, this cake will make them so happy! A guilt-free treat is something we all need now and then.
- Easy to Make. As we all know, baking can sometimes be a little bit fussy. But this recipe is so simple, you don’t even need a mixer! Everything can be stirred up by hand with a mixing bowl and a spoon.
- Flavorful. Dried apricots are a richly flavorful ingredient, so chopping them up and sprinkling them into the cake batter adds a truly indulgent taste to the dish that won’t weigh you down.
- Nutty! Pine nuts and almonds work together to give this dish a luscious crumb and warm, delicious taste.
Apricot Cake Ingredients
So let’s talk about the ingredients, right? You might be surprised at how short and sweet (literally!) this list actually is. Here’s what you’ll need to round up:
- Almond Meal and Gluten Free Flour: You don’t want to make the cake with just almond meal. Adding gluten free all-purpose flour helps the texture out tremendously. Use a blend that’s designed to be a 1:1 all-purpose flour substitute.
- Baking Powder: Be sure to use baking powder, not baking soda! Baking soda will not give this cake the right texture.
- Salt
- Almonds: Sliced almonds, or slivered if you prefer.
- Pine Nuts: Roasted are often easier to find, but raw pine nuts are also good.
- Eggs: Large, whole eggs, lightly beaten.
- Sugar: I use plain granulated sugar, but feel free to substitute raw sugar or light brown sugar.
- Butter: Melt the butter before adding it to the batter.
- Milk: Almond milk or coconut milk, unsweetened.
- Almond Extract: For a depth of flavor and slight liqueur taste. Vanilla extract is also good if you want a less almond-y taste.
- Apricots: Dried apricots, chopped.
Are Fresh Apricots Better Than Dried?
You might be wondering if you should just go for fresh apricots instead of dried, and that’s understandable! Fresh fruits and veggies are usually considered better than frozen/canned/dried. But dried apricots are actually very similar nutritionally to their fresh counterparts, and they have a sweet, concentrated flavor that works beautifully in baking. Plus, they don’t add a watery texture to the cake. So I really recommend using dried instead of fresh for this recipe!
How to Make Apricot Cake with Pine Nuts
Once you have gathered up all of your ingredients, it’s time to bake! That’s definitely the fun part in my book. So, how do you do it? Here’s the process.
- Get Ready to Bake. Step one is to preheat your oven to 350°F. While it’s heating you can prep your baking pan: spray it with organic baking spray, or coat it with coconut oil and lightly dust it with flour.
- Toast the Almonds and Half the Pine Nuts. Place your almonds and half of the pine nuts on a baking sheet, and spread them out so that they are a single layer with some space between each piece. Bake for 4 – 5 minutes, until they are toasted.
- Grind the Toasted Pine Nuts. Place the toasted pine nuts in a food processor, and pulse until you have a coarse meal.
- Combine the Dry Cake Ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground pine nut meal, almond meal, gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir these ingredients to mix them.
- Combine the Wet Cake Ingredients. Melt the butter (I do this in the microwave). Mix it with the sugar, and then add the milk, eggs, and almond extract.
- Make the Cake Batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir them well to make a smooth batter. Then stir the chopped apricots into the batter.
- Assemble the Cake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and then top the batter with your toasted almonds and the remaining ¼ cup of un-toasted pine nuts.
- Bake. Bake the cake for 50 – 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool and Serve. Cool the cake for about 30 minutes before dusting it with powdered sugar and serving it.
Baking Notes
So there you have it, an Italian-style apricot cake made completely gluten free and grain free, and so scrumptious. Before you give this recipe a try, be sure to read over these helpful recipe notes. Enjoy!
- Flour: This recipe is grain free as long as your gluten free flour blend is grain free, so avoid flour blends with rice, corn, or other grains. PaleoIf you don’t mind making this cake with grains, you can use any all-purpose flour that you like!
- Mixing: While you should not overmix cake batter that is made with regular flour, gluten free flours don’t react the same way, so feel free to mix this one well to get a smooth, creamy texture.
- Apricots: If you don’t have dried apricots, you could substitute another chopped, dried fruit such as golden raisins, dried mango, or dried figs.
- Powdered Sugar: I love a dusting of powdered sugar on top of the apricot cake, but you can also serve the cake just as it is, without any topping.
- Whipped Cream: Whipped cream would be a great addition to this recipe, whether you are serving it for dessert or for brunch. Yum!
Storing and Freezing Guidelines
I have frozen this cake with great success, so if you want to save it for later, that is a great way to do it. Make sure to cool it completely before wrapping it and freezing it. Wrap it in two layers – one of plastic, and one of foil. Then freeze for up to two months.
If you don’t need to store the cake for that long, the refrigerator is a good option. Just cover it tightly (a cake stand often works well for this) and stick it in the fridge for two or three days.
Italian Pine Nut and Apricot Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks butter melted (12 tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup dried apricots chopped (about 15 whole)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9" cake pan with organic baking spray, or coat with extra virgin coconut oil and dust with flour.
- Place almonds and 1/4 cup of pine nuts on a baking sheet, separated. Bake for 4-5 minutes until nuts are toasted.
- Place toasted pine nuts in a food processor and grind into a coarse meal.
- Place ground pine nuts, almond meal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Place butter in a medium bowl and melt in microwave.
- Mix sugar into butter, then add in milk, eggs, and almond extract.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine. Add in chopped apricots and stir till blended.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and top with almond slices and remaining 1/4 cup of pine nuts.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.
- Let cool for 30 minutes and dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
-
- Flour: This recipe is grain free as long as your gluten free flour blend is grain free, so avoid flour blends with rice, corn, or other grains. PaleoIf you don’t mind making this cake with grains, you can use any all-purpose flour that you like!
-
- Mixing: While you should not overmix cake batter that is made with regular flour, gluten free flours don’t react the same way, so feel free to mix this one well to get a smooth, creamy texture.
-
- Apricots: If you don’t have dried apricots, you could substitute another chopped, dried fruit such as golden raisins, dried mango, or dried figs.
-
- Powdered Sugar: I love a dusting of powdered sugar on top of the apricot cake, but you can also serve the cake just as it is, without any topping.
-
- Whipped Cream: Whipped cream would be a great addition to this recipe, whether you are serving it for dessert or for brunch. Yum!
- Storing and Freezing: To freeze, cool the cake completely and wrap it in two layers – one of plastic, and one of foil. Then freeze for up to two months. To refrigerate, cover tightly and store in the fridge for two or three days.
This looks amazing! I have a bunch of fresh apricots I need to use – would i need to adjust the recipe for that?
Alanna,
I have never made this with fresh apricots, but I would only use 1-2 apricots. I would love to hear your results.
Dear Amy, What a beautiful cake. I would love a slice of this. It looks so moist and wonderful…this would be a hit with friends and family. Pinning. xo, Catherine
Thanks Catherine, I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe. It is a family favorite for sure!