Fresh Apricot Sponge Cake  snack cake fruit dessert apricot lemon peach cherry sour cherry pan di spagna quick dessert quick cake

Fresh Apricot Sponge Cake

It’s summer and i’t apricot season. These delicate, golden colored fruits, with a luscious flavor and a velvety surface, are rich in vitamins (A, C, B, E, K), minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, selenium, manganese) and antioxidants (carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene).  They are known and apreciated from antiquity and the ancient Greeks called them “golden eggs of the sun.”

Originally from Armenia, related to plums, peaches and nectarines, apricots (Prunus armeniaca) are widely appreciated and cultivated from many centuries in Europe and China. Fresh or dried, canned or baked, apricots are wonderful and deserve their nickname of „fruits of the gods”. With numerous health benefits, apricots are useful in preventing respiratory, cardiovascular or ophthalmic diseases. They are also used to prevent conditions such as cancer, constipation, cystitis, they helps to improve memory and to maintain a beautiful and bright skin.

This dessert, which I’ve known since childhood, is easy to make and delicious and it consists of a simple vanilla-lemon flavored pan di spagna and fresh apricots. I cut them in halves but they can also be cut in thin slices on taste.

Ingredients Fresh Apricot Sponge Cake

• 5 eggs at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 7 tablespoons cake flour
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8-10 fresh riped apricots
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for sprinkle

Directions Fresh Apricot Sponge Cake

Prepare a 25/35 cm baking tray, butter it and line it with baking paper.  Preheat the oven at 175 Celsius. Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Sift the flour. Wash the apricots, dry them, cut into halves (or slices) and discard the stones.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt at medium speed, until foamy. Increase the speed to maximum, add gradually the granulated sugar and continue beating until a stiff meringe forms. The higher speed makes the meringue to incorporate more air, which will result in baking a beautiful raised cake. Given that we do not use raising agents (like baking powder or baking soda), an aerated composition is absolutely necessary.

Mix the egg yolks, add oil alternating with lemon juice and finally the vanilla and lemon zest.

Incorporate the egg yolk mixture into the meringue, in three additions, alternating with flour. Homogenize using a silicone spatula. Stir gently, from bottom to top.

Pour the composition into prepared pan and level. Place over the apricot halves (or slices). Insert the tray in the oven and bake until golden brown (20-25 minutes).

When the cake is done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then portion it and serve. Optionally, sprinkle some powdered sugar. The cake must be stored into the refrigerator.