🍰🍑🥣 Apricot Oatmeal Cake 🥣🍑🍰
🤔 What is it?
Apricot Oatmeal Cake is a delightful dessert that combines the goodness of apricots with the heartiness of oats. It’s a moist and tender cake with a sweet-tart flavor from the apricots, a nutty texture from the oats, and a touch of warmth from cinnamon. This cake is perfect for enjoying as a dessert or even as a sweet breakfast treat.
📜 History:
The exact origin of Apricot Oatmeal Cake is not well-documented, but similar fruit and oat-based cakes have been enjoyed in various forms across cultures for centuries. Oats have a long history of use in baking, especially in regions where they are abundant. Apricots have been cultivated for thousands of years in regions like Asia and the Middle East. The combination of these two ingredients likely evolved over time as people experimented with flavors and textures in their baking.
🥘 Components:
Here are the key components of Apricot Oatmeal Cake:
- Apricots: Fresh or dried apricots are the star ingredient, providing the fruity sweetness and flavor.
- Oats: Rolled oats or quick oats are used to add texture, moisture, and a slightly nutty taste.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the cake’s structure.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure and moisture.
- Butter: Unsalted butter adds richness and flavor.
- Milk: Milk ensures the batter has the right consistency.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda help the cake rise.
- Spices: Cinnamon and sometimes nutmeg or vanilla extract add warmth and depth of flavor.
👩🍳 Steps to Prepare:
Here’s a simplified recipe to prepare Apricot Oatmeal Cake:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a baking pan.
- In a bowl, pour boiling water over the oats and let them soak for 20 minutes.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the oat mixture, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, chopped apricots, and milk until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
🕒 Preparation Time:
The preparation time for Apricot Oatmeal Cake can vary depending on your experience in the kitchen, but on average, it takes about 20-30 minutes to prepare the ingredients and mix the batter, and an additional 40-45 minutes for baking. So, you can expect to spend approximately 60-75 minutes in total.
Enjoy your homemade Apricot Oatmeal Cake! 🍰🍑😋
Sure, here are the nutrition facts and some health information for Apricot Oatmeal Cake:
Nutrition Facts (Approximate values for one serving)
- Calories: 250-300 kcal
- Total Fat: 10-12g
- Saturated Fat: 6-7g
- Cholesterol: 40-50mg
- Sodium: 100-150mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 35-40g
- Dietary Fiber: 2-3g
- Sugars: 20-25g
- Protein: 4-5g
- Vitamin A: 10-15% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin C: 2-4% of the DV
- Calcium: 4-6% of the DV
- Iron: 6-8% of the DV
📝 Health Information:
- Moderate Calories: Apricot Oatmeal Cake is moderately calorie-dense due to the presence of sugar, butter, and oats. It’s best enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
- Healthy Fats: The cake contains some healthy fats from butter and oats. Oats are a good source of heart-healthy, soluble fiber.
- Fiber: Oats provide dietary fiber, which can aid digestion and help you feel fuller for longer.
- Vitamins and Minerals: The cake offers small amounts of vitamins and minerals, with vitamin A being the most notable due to the apricots.
- Added Sugar: Be mindful of the sugar content in the cake. While apricots contribute natural sugars, added sugar can increase the overall sugar content.
It’s important to enjoy Apricot Oatmeal Cake as a treat rather than a regular part of your diet due to its sugar and calorie content. You can also make healthier variations by reducing sugar or using alternative sweeteners and incorporating whole wheat flour for added fiber.
