This handsome cake makes a regal sight on a pedestal plate. Each lemony slice is flecked with pistachios and apricots. Enjoy it with a cup of Earl Grey tea or mellow Kenyan or Ethiopian coffee.
–Lou Seibert Pappas
Apricot, Pistachio, and Lemon Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 10-inch Bundt or tube cake pan
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups chopped dried apricots
- 3/4 cup (3 oz) shelled unsalted pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and yogurt until just combined. (The mixture may look like it’s curdled. Don’t worry, it will smooth out when dry ingredients are added.)
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until blended. The batter will be thick. Stir in the apricots and nuts. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then unmold the cake on a wire rack and let it cool completely prior to slicing. Originally published April 15, 2006.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
All my tasters raved about this cake. The sweetness wasn’t excessive and the pistachios and apricots added texture and sparks of flavor. The cake emerged from the pan in perfect shape and was visually beautiful, even without added embellishment.
This cake was perfect with a morning cup of coffee, and I think it would be equally wonderful as an afternoon snack with either coffee or tea. It wasn’t terribly sweet, which I liked a lot, and the lemon flavor was subtle but definitely noticeable. The apricots and pistachios gave the cake a colorful and appealing look and at the same time complemented the cake’s lemon flavor.
A delicious cake that is simple and even a little elegant—the lemon flavor really shines through and smelled amazing while cooling. I loved the contrast of the slightly crunchy, buttery crust on the outside with the moist, fluffy crumb in the inside. This is a perfect complement to an afternoon cup of tea, for sure, but it would be equally wonderful as a brunch dessert.
My impression is that this recipe is written for people who have some baking experience under their belts (or, er, aprons) and are pretty intuitive about how things should look/work.
Apricots can vary a lot—I was just barely shy of 1 1/4 cups with my 8 oz and would recommend 10 oz of apricots to yield the correct amount. My apricots were standard grocery store variety that were a little larger than the size of a quarter.
The recipe came together easily in about hour, then another 50 minutes in the oven, and then cooling time.
Could you suggest the amount of flour to use, by weight?
Of course, Steve. If you click on the metric tab, you’ll see it calls for 405 grams of flour. If you prefer to work in ounces, that’s 14.3 ounces.