Apricot Upside-Down Cake

By Vallery Lomas

Updated July 23, 2020

  • Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
5(674)
Comments
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Apricot halves, baked in a faux caramel of melted butter, brown sugar and spices, burst with punchy flavor in every bite of this cake. The sticky topping complements the almost-tart, fleshy stone fruit, and offers a textural contrast to the buttery cake. A hint of almond further accentuates the apricot flavor. This rustic beauty is perfect by itself, but you can serve it with whipped cream or ice cream, if you want to be fancy.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 4 tablespoons/55 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

  • Flour, for dusting

  • ½ cup/110 grams light or dark brown sugar, packed

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 8 medium apricots, rinsed and dried (about 1 pound)

FOR THE CAKE

  • 1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour

  • ½ cup/55 grams almond flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

  • 6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • ⅔ cup/135 grams granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature

  • ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

53 grams carbs; 86 milligrams cholesterol; 404 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 222 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 37 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the topping: Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan or an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt. Spread the brown sugary mix in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

  2. Step 2

    Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Arrange the apricots, flesh-side down, evenly over the bottom of the pan.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the cake batter: Add the flour to a medium bowl. Sift in the almond flour, then use your fingertips to break up any clumps that don’t fit through the sieve. Add the baking powder and salt to the bowl and whisk to combine.

  4. Step 4

    In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium until combined and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.

  5. Step 5

    Add ⅓ of the flour mixture, then ½ of the milk, mixing to combine. Continue alternating the additions of flour and milk and mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl, just until all is combined. (Make sure not to overmix during this step.)

  6. Step 6

    Spread the batter in an even layer over the apricot halves. Bake until the cake is set and doesn’t jiggle when shaken, is golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Remove pan from the oven, and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. With the cake still in the pan, turn the pan over onto a serving platter. Wait 1 minute, then remove the pan. This cake is excellent warm, but it’s also delicious at room temperature.

Tip

  • The ½ cup almond flour may be substituted with another ½ cup all-purpose flour.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
674 user ratings
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Comments

Elena

Used local (Southern California) red apricots on the verge of being too ripe. Cake was FANTASTIC. The tartness of the apricot cut the balanced the sweetness. Reduced granulated sugar to 120 g and it was fine--still plenty sweet with the glaze--could probably reduce further depending on the fruit. My husband stared at his plate in silence for a few minutes after he finished it. Not sure if in prayer or mourning.

Berahovich

Just made this. Simple and delicious. I used 1/2 cup sugar vs 2/3 cup and it was perfect. Also needed to cook for 5-7 minutes longer.

Kymmore

This was easy to make and a hit with our guests. I substituted GF Flour (exact measurement). Cook time 35 min. The apricot topping was jammy, and the cake moist but light. It would be an excellent brunch addition.

LK

To use almond flour

Jordan

This was a tasty, summery cake, and it quickly disappeared at my friends' cookout. I reduced sugar in the cake to 100g, didn't miss it at all. I diced up 8 or so dried apricots and added them to the batter, which looked and tasted great. Prepared in a 9" cast iron skillet which worked well. Wish I had spread the batter more evenly before baking - it did not even itself out in the oven. Sat wrapped up at room temp for nearly a day before serving, which may have helped it.

Julia

I’ve made this a few times and it’s great every time. Today I was out of almond flour so I subbed cornmeal and a bit of almond extract - delicious! I think I like it even better than the almond flour. I also baked it in a cast iron skillet, and after baking I put the whole thing on the stove on medium heat for a few minutes to get some extra caramelization on the apricots.

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