It is a Belgian summer. Tender, tempered and capricious. One day bursting with sunshine, brightness and delight with temperatures warming the land in their near 30C. The next day, cooly sofisticated greyness showers the smiling plants with temperatures declining to no more then 16C. Yet, we love it all and we learn how to arrange our outdoor agendas in accordance with the weather.

There may be no golden sunshine in our Belgian sky today, yet we still choose to celebrate the summer with this beautifully golden Apricot Frangipane cake. Such a family favourite treat and so simple and easy to make. Delicious crust pastry soften with aromatic home made apricot jam and light and nutty almond sponge, finished with a bite of perfect, sugar powdered almond flake topping.

Golden brown oven delight – who needs another sunshine?

Ingredients

For the crust pastry

• 250g flour
• 75g butter
• 90g sugar
• 1 Vanilla essence sugar package (Dr. Oetker)
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch of salt

For the frangipane filling

• 200g butter
• 125g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 130g almond powder
• 180g flour
• 125ml milk
• 50g almond flakes
• 125g powder sugar
•  3-4 tbsp Apricot jam

Method

1. Make the crust pastry: Add the soft butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together and whisk with a mixer until the texture becomes soft, pale and fluffy. Add the egg and continue mixing for a few additional minutes. Add the flour and mix until all comes together in a ball. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until the mixture comes together. Wrap the crust pastry mixture in a cling film and leave in the fridge for one hour to become firm.

2. Prepare the cake form by laying a cylinder shaped baking paper at the base of the form. Take the crust pastry out of the fridge and on a lightly floured surface roll the pastry into a thin disk. Cut a round disk just broad enough to cover the base of the cake form. Place the crust pastry into the form by pressing gently to the bottom and the sides of the form. Cut off the excess pastry out of the edge of the form. Place the form with the crust pastry into the fridge to chill.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Place a round backing paper on top of the pastry and fill it in with baking pearls. Place the cake form in the oven and let it bake for 30 minutes.

4. Take the baking form out of the oven, remove the baking pearls and let it cool slightly.

5. Make the frangipane filling: In a large bowl whisk together with an electric mixer the softened butter and the crystal sugar. Continuing to mix, add the eggs and then the almond power and then gradually add the milk and the flour.

6. Cover the base of the crust pastry with a few handfuls of apricot jam forming a thick layer. Spoon on top of it the frangipane filling, and smooth the surface so the jam remains underneath but the top is covered evenly with filling. Scatter generously on top almond flakes.

7. Bake the cake: Place the cake in the oven and let it bake for an additional 30 minutes on 160C.

8. Once baked, take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely before removing from the form.

9. Before serving, dust the cake with powder sugar.

READ MORE