This cake with fresh apricots is light, soft, moist, and flavorful. It’s easy to make from scratch and only needs a few simple ingredients!
Easy fruit sheet cake
Who doesn’t love sheet cake with fresh fruits? Exactly! I love to make this easy apricot sheet cake during summer when apricots are in season and most flavorful.
Fruit substitutions
This cake not only tastes terrific with fresh apricots but with plums or peaches too. Just make sure to quarter larger fruits, like peaches, as they will be quite heavy and sink into the batter otherwise.
Different pans and sheets
I used a 9-by-13 inch (23x33 cm) baking pan for this cake to get a nice and tall cake. But a jelly roll pan (10-by-15 inch or 26x38 cm) will work great too. If you want to make a small sheet cake using an 8-inch square pan, you’ll need to cut the ingredients in half.
I hope you enjoy this easy apricot cake. Please leave me a comment and rating if you do!
Easy Apricot Cake – light, soft, moist
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (1 kg) fresh apricots
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 14 tablespoons (200 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar (only use ¾ cup sugar (=165 g) for low-sugar version)
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 organic lemon, for zest
- 2 ⅓ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (or 175 °C) using top and bottom heat. Grease a 9-by-13 inch (23x33 cm) baking pan with soft or melted butter or line the pan with parchment paper.
- Rinse apricots, halve them and remove the pits.
- Separate the eggs and put the egg whites in a large bowl together with a pinch of salt. Using an electric mixer or stand mixer, whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat softened butter, sugar, and egg yolks until creamy and pale, about 7 minutes.
- Add sour cream, vanilla extract, and grated lemon zest. Beat until combined.
- Combine flour and baking powder and stir them into the egg mixture, until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in half of the beaten egg whites to loosen the batter. Then, fold in the second half.
- Add the batter to the pan and spread evenly using a spatula.
- Top batter with apricot halves, cut side up, leaving only a little bit of space in between. I know it is tempting, but do not press the apricots into the batter. The batter will rise around the apricots during baking.
- Bake the cake at 350 °F (175 °C) until golden on top, for about 45 minutes. A wooden toothpick inserted into the cake should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Let the cake cool - at least a few minutes - cut into squares and enjoy! Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if you like.
- The cake – like all fruit cakes - tastes best when eaten on the same day. Store leftover cake well wrapped in the fridge and eat within 2 days. It freezes well too!
Sandra says
Tried for my little ones, they liked it really much. yummy.
Dimi says
Wonderful apricot cake. Thanks!
JonnyD says
Making this takes me back to the visiting Vienna some years ago. It’s a traditional treat that you would get in many places. Recipe worked nicely.
Lydia says
Have you ever tried making it with peaches ... or plums? I am simply not the biggest fan of apricots.
Carbgirl says
Hi Lydia,
Sure, this cake is a great base for almost any kind of fruit. I would cut peaches into small cubes or at least quarter them and put them skin side down on the dough. Smaller plums (halved) work equally great as apricots. Hope that you'll try the cake.
Anne Mayard says
Hi,
this apricot cake tastes exactly like my oma's!! I was never able to trace back her recipe. Thank you so much bringing back fond memories. Anne
Carbgirl says
So happy to hear that 🙂
LittleBanana says
Apricots are in season here. My friend brought me a little bucket since they have a tree - this is how I came to your site. Everybody loves this cake. I already made it 3 times. It's always the highlight. Thanks you, Anna.
baking.girl says
Super fluffy sponge cake.
It's almost the end of apricot season here so I wanted to bake an easy apricot cake. Nothing fancy but simple and delicious.
Your recipe seemed to be of of those. And: I was not disappointed. We enjoyed the cake while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly. Will add it to my family recipe collection.