Orange & apricot loaf cake
A classic fruit sponge cake with apricots and citrus shared by reader Ann Turner – it’s perfect with a cup of tea
- Prep:20 mins
Cook:1 hrs
- Serves 8
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
- kcal 430
- fat 20g
- saturates 12g
- carbs 57g
- sugars 32g
- fibre 4g
- protein 7g
- salt 0.4g
Ingredients
- 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 175g dried apricots, chopped
- zest 2 large orange, juice of 1
- 175g golden caster sugar
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
- 280g self-raising flour
- drop of milk (optional)
- 50g icing sugar
Method
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. In a saucepan, heat the apricots with the orange zest and all but 1 tbsp of the juice. Simmer gently for 5 mins until the apricots have absorbed all the juice. Set aside to cool.
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then fold in the flour. Stir in the cooled apricots. If the mixture is dry at this stage, add a drop of milk.
Scrape the batter into the tin and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins before removing, then leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
Gradually add the reserved orange juice to the icing sugar, stirring until smooth and slightly runny. Drizzle the icing in a zigzag pattern over the top of the cake and leave to set.