This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe comes from Baking with Dorie. Apricot and Pistachio-Olive Oil Cake was on the “to bake” list but I riffed a little and replaced the pistachios with almonds. Here in Canada, there has been a widespread recall of pistachios and products containing pistachios over the past year and “[t]he Public Health Agency of Canada says its investigation into a salmonella outbreak linked to pistachios is still active one year since recording the first infection. An update Monday by the agency shows people are still getting sick with illnesses reported as recently as last month.” (Source: The Canadian Press)
What this means (for bakers) is that sometimes pistachios are incredibly hard to come by, so once again for a Dorie bake, I substituted what I had on hand (almonds) and wasn’t disappointed. For sure it made a different (maybe less exotic?) cake but it was a success and I certainly love the almond/ apricot combo.
The cake is really easy to put together and contains both olive oil, butter and Greek yoghurt so it’s wonderfully moist. I didn’t use the saffron or tea leaves the original recipe calls for as I didn’t think either would work particularly with the almonds so my cake was plainer than the original but no less delicious – look at those lovely chunks of apricot !
I baked this in a 9-inch springform pan as my other cake pans are too shallow so this also didn’t rise as much as if it had been in a deep 8-inch tin. No matter – it was still a beauty!
I made this for Neil to take to a curling potluck (always multitasking – during a break from studying for an exam!) and luckily there were a couple of slices leftover for us!
The cake cuts a bit messily due to the chunks of fruit and nuts an the top layer was a little precarious (I kept thinking it needed something more to hold it together) but wow was this ever good!
An easy, impressive bake? It’s a keeper for me! Definitely one to remember!
Get the recipe for Apricot and Pistachio-Olive Oil Cake on p 116 of Baking with Dorie or here.
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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Baking with Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions are 100% my own.
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Gosh I didn’t know you could get salmonella from pistachios, it’s not been an issue in the UK. I am a fan of oil/yogurt based cakes, much easier than creaming fat and sugar!
I should state it was not “luckily” there were a couple slices left over – this was such a hit on the curling finals dessert table, I had to sneak the plate away to bring two slices home as I had not had a chance to try!
Lovely and moist, and needless to say the feedback from hungry curlers was effusive. 🙂
Your cake looks amazing! Almonds are a perfect match for the other flavors. I also had a quandary about the pan. My 8 inch pan was shy of the 2 inch depth. I was afraid the batter might spill over. All was well though.
That looks so good w a cup of coffee for breakfast!
I am glad you took the safe route with the almonds. My husband would love an almond swap. I look forward to making this one at the end of the month.
Great choice substituting almonds for pistachios. It’s such a delicious flavor combination. I added the tea to mine, but it didn’t seem to add anything to the flavor.
Your cake turned out beautifully Mardi. Who knew about getting salmonella from pistachios!
the crosscut on this cake was so pretty! almonds sound like a good swap to me, but hope pistachios return to you soon…