Yield: 1 aprium cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Light, fluffy and sweet vanilla cake topped with jammy, tart apriums.
aprium cake
Now the first thing you might be wondering is – what the heck is an aprium?! An aprium is a hybrid of an apricot and a plum. It is more similar to an apricot, with a hint of plum! When I first found these I knew I wanted to bake them in a way that they would be the star of the show. That’s when I discovered German apricot cake (Aprikosenkuchen), which is the inspiration behind this recipe. The cake is light, fluffy, and moist, with tons of apriums on top. It’s fresh, delicious, and the perfect afternoon snack cake. And don’t fret – if you can’t find apriums, apricots are just as delicious on top of here.
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
line your pan tall with parchment paper!
This cake is not one that you want to flip upside down to get it out of the pan. Butter your pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan (plus I happen to enjoy the little crinkles it puts in the sides – it’s a little rustic almost!)
mix the batter carefully
It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.
room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg, butter, and buttermilk at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5-second intervals. For buttermilk, you can also microwave it in 5-second intervals until it’s no longer cold (but not hot!)
coat the apriums or apricots with flour
We’re going to dip the bottoms of the apricots into some flour to help them not sink as much into the cake. The flour on the bottom of the fruit will help form a barrier when the cake cooks, keeping the fruit towards the top of the cake.
ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: the structure of the cake. I would not recommend using cake flour as the cake is already super fluffy and tender using the all purpose.
Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise and keep it light and fluffy. We will also sprinkle some sugar on top of the cake to compliment the slight tartness of the aprium.
Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together.
Vanilla: I use and love this vanilla extract. We will use some vanilla in the bundt, and some in the glaze.
Buttermilk: for tenderizing the cake and adding moisture. I highly recommend using buttermilk but I know it can be hard or annoying to purchase, especially if you don’t plan on using it for anything else. If you need a quick substitute, I recommend a mixture of
Apriums: the star of the show in this cake. If you can’t find apriums, feel free to substitute in apricots!
how to make aprium cake
aprium cake q&a
what can I use instead of apriums?
If you can’t find apriums (I found them the first year I made this cake but can’t seem to find them this year!), apricots will work perfectly in their place. Peaches or plums would also be delicious here.
how to store this cake
This apricot cake will keep well for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely! Double all the ingredients and bake it between two 9″ cake pans. I especially encourage using grams for the best results if you’re going to double the recipe.
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
a note on oven temperature.
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you. I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here
did you make this aprium cake?
If you made this aprium cake I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Aprium Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 190 g all purpose flour (1 ½ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 125 g unsalted butter room temperature (9 tbsp.)
- 175 g granulated sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 150 g buttermilk room temperature (⅔ c.)
Aprium Topping
- 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
- 6 apriums* cut in half, pitted
- 25 g granulated sugar (2 tbsp.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 9” cake pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan so that no streusel falls off of it.
Vanilla Cake
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Rinse, halve, and pit the apriums and set them aside along with a bowl of 2 tbsp. of flour.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl) beat together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in both eggs and the vanilla, and beat until well combined (~1 min.)
- Add in half of the flour mixture, and mix by hand just until the flour is incorporated. Add in all of the buttermilk and mix until combined. Add in the rest of the flour, and lightly fold the mixture together just until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer
Aprium Topping
- Dip the skin side of each aprium half into the flour to coat the bottom. Place the apriums facing up in the cake batter (with the coated flour side touching the cake batter). Make sure the apriums are close together and that the top is fully coated. Sprinkle the sugar over the apriums.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs on it.
- Wait for the cake to cool before serving. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
I’d never had an aprium, so I bought some. The flavor was great but the fuzzy skin was a massive turn-off. Because I hate to throw things away, I started hunting for recipes and this one popped up. It looked like a riff on the apple cake my German grandma made when I was a kid. So I promptly went out and bought a 10” cake pan (yes, I spent $12 on a pan so I wouldn’t throw away $6 of apriums) and went to work. It came together quickly and smelled divine while baking. I let it cool in the pan and then turned it out on a cooling rack so I could taste it sooner, and I’m glad I didn’t wait… this cake is divine. Dense, moist crumb, with the sweetness of the vanilla a perfect counterpoint to the tart fruit. Thank you for your creative genius! Now, to figure out how to hide the rest so I don’t have to share…
Thank you so much for sharing and for your kind words. I’m so happy that those apriums led you to this recipe, and that you enjoyed the cake! 🙂