Apricot Walnut Lavender Cake

Best cake I’ve ever eaten

Desserts with a distinctly French accent have quickly filled up the page for sweets on this blog. Not clearly knowing why! It just happened. These are the delicious goodness of bouchons, eclairs, financiers, macarons, Madeleines and soufflé. I have to admit I can’t be happier making these delectable pastries, much less eating them.

What do you bake when the apricots are in season and the lavender plants are almost in bloom?

The apricot, walnut and lavender cake is yet another French dessert. Of all the chefs out there, I least expect this recipe to be coming from Ottenlenghi. Given his middle-eastern roots and style of cooking, it is easy to forget that he got his basic training at Le Cordon Bleu. In Plenty More, Ottolenghi wrote: “I seriously urge you to try this cake and not just as a French classic. It has a moist and soft crumb and a delicate fruity topping, and it will keep well for a few days.”

He has definitively delivered on all that. Ditto to his entire claim except, perhaps, the last part. Half of the cake was gone in record time before it has barely cooled down. It was insanely good. Sweet and tart. Nutty. Intensely moist. The faint scent and taste of lavender reminds you of French countryside. I’d seriously urge you to make this cake!

The best bite is the caramelized edge

This cake is gone in record time

Note: This cake can be made gluten free by substituting the small amount (90g) of all-purpose flour in the recipe with rice and quinoa flour. If you don’t have apricots, other stone fruits may be worth a try. I made a cupcake version with this recipe. The cupcakes were just as good. But I tend to like the bigger cake which takes longer to bake and the caramelization on the crust gives more depth of flavor.

A gluten-free cupcake version

Apricot in season and lavender in bloom