French Apricot & Almond Cake

A light, moist Provençal-style gâteau with ripe apricots, lemon and almond — adapted for Doves Farm Freee plain flour, reduced sugar and a tender gluten-free crumb. The ripe fruit does much of the sweetening, so it's intentionally less sweet than most French apricot cakes.

> Gluten-free | reduced sugar | Provençal-style. A light, moist gâteau with ripe apricots, lemon and almond. Intentionally much less sweet than most French apricot cakes — the ripe fruit provides much of the sweetness.

Makes 8 generous slices (or 10 smaller) · 20cm (8-inch) round springform · prep 25 min · bake 45–55 min

Ingredients

Cake

• 120g unsalted butter, softened
• 70g caster sugar
• 60g monk fruit sweetener (1:1 sugar replacement)
• 3 medium eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 175g Doves Farm Freee Plain Flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 160g full-fat Greek yogurt (or goat Greek-style yogurt)
• 8–10 ripe apricots, halved and stoned

Topping

• 20g flaked almonds
• 1 tsp caster sugar (optional, for extra colour)

Method

1. Prepare

• Preheat the oven to 170°C fan (190°C conventional).
• Grease the base and sides of a 20cm springform tin.
• Line the base with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter

• Beat the butter, caster sugar and monk fruit sweetener together for 5 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.
• Don't shorten this step — most of the cake's lightness comes from incorporating plenty of air here.

3. Add the eggs

• Beat in one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Beat for 1 minute once all the eggs are incorporated.
• Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.

4. Mix the dry ingredients

• Whisk together the Doves Farm flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

5. Finish the batter

• Add the flour mixture and yogurt alternately: ⅓ flour, ½ yogurt, ⅓ flour, remaining yogurt, remaining flour.
• Fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
• The finished batter should be thick, smooth and spreadable.

6. Add the fruit

• Spread the batter evenly into the prepared tin.
• Arrange the apricot halves over the surface, cut-side up, pressing them only lightly into the batter.
• Scatter over the flaked almonds and the optional teaspoon of sugar.

7. Bake

• Bake for 45–55 minutes, checking from 45 minutes.
• The cake is ready when the top springs back lightly and a skewer comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
• If it's browning too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final 10–15 minutes.

8. Cool

• Leave in the tin for 15 minutes.
• Remove the ring and cool completely on a wire rack.
• Lovely warm, but it slices most cleanly once cooled.

Notes

Choosing apricots — Use ripe fruit that is fragrant, slightly soft and still holding its shape. Very hard apricots remain tart after baking.

Gluten-free success — Bring all ingredients to room temperature, cream the butter thoroughly, fold gently once the flour is added, and don't overbake — gluten-free cakes dry out quickly.

Sweetness — This recipe is intentionally much less sweet than most French apricot cakes; the ripe apricots provide much of the sweetness. If your fruit is particularly tart, sprinkle an extra teaspoon of caster sugar over the fruit before baking.

No cinnamon — For Provençal apricots, no cinnamon is deliberate: vanilla, lemon and almond let the fruit remain the star.

Baker's Tips

• Cream the butter for a full 5 minutes.
• Alternate the yogurt and flour rather than adding the yogurt all at once.
• Don't overmix after adding the flour.
• Use 10 smaller apricots rather than 8 large ones for the best fruit-to-cake ratio.

Storage

• Keeps 2–3 days in an airtight container.
• Best eaten on the day of baking or the following day.
• Freezes well for up to 2 months.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with lightly whipped goat cream, goat Greek yogurt or crème fraîche — or simply on its own with coffee.

Approximate Nutrition

Per slice (⅛ of cake): ~460–490 kcal · protein ~8g · carbohydrates ~42g · fat ~29g.

(Values are approximate and depend on the size of the apricots and the yogurt used.)