Recipe: Flourless choc and apricot cake with chocolate frosting

By Annie Bell for MailOnline

Updated: 14:01 EST, 5 June 2010


Flourless choc and apricot cake


MAKES 1 x 20cm CAKE

  • butter for the cake tin
  • 225g ready-to-eat dried apricots
  • juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 x 7cm stick cinnamon
  • 6 medium eggs
  • 200g ground almonds 
  • 25g sifted cocoa
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp sifted baking powder


FROSTING:

  • 200g dark chocolate about 50 per cent cocoa solids
  • 200g sour cream
 
  1. Butter a 20cm loose-bottom cake tin at least 6cm deep and line the base with baking parchment.
  2. Place the apricots, lemon zest and juice, and cinnamon stick in a small pan with 200ml water. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the mixture doesn’t catch, until the apricots are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the cinnamon stick and purée the apricots in a food processor. Transfer the purée to a bowl and leave to cool.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until pale and foamy, then fold in the ground almonds, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and the apricot purée. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown on top. A skewer inserted at the centre should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging. Run a knife around the edge, leave the cake to cool then ease out of the tin. (Alternatively, see decorating tip below.)
  4. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt gently in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sour cream.
  5. Using a palette knife, coat the cake with the icing as smoothly as possible. Set aside in a cool place to set for a few hours. The cake should keep in an airtight container in a cool cupboard for several days.

DECORATING TIP

You can either ice the cake thinly all over or leave it in the tin and apply a thick layer to the top, as in the picture.


 

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