Butter Cake with Apricots and Crumble Recipe
This butter cake with apricots and a thick, buttery crumble is reminiscent of the classic Polish “sheet cake” baked in summer to go with coffee. It has a fluffy, buttery base with slightly tangy, soft apricots nestled under a crunchy crumble topping. The thick batter and chilled crumble help the dessert hold its shape even with a generous amount of fruit.
These butter cakes with fruit and crumble were a staple of Polish summers in the 1980s and 90s – baked in large sheet pans, cut into squares and served “with coffee” for no special occasion. Apricots are a lighter, more tangy alternative to the classic plums.
This cake combines the simplicity of a basic butter batter with the effect of a dessert of baked fruit. The apricots bake in little nests of cake, and the buttery crumble contrasts with their soft centres. It tastes like a classic sheet cake but is noticeably more buttery and moist.
Why this version works
- The thick, well‑aerated batter supports the weight of the apricots without the centre collapsing.
- Chilled crumble forms distinct clumps and bakes into a crunchy layer.
- Arranging the apricots cut‑side up keeps the juice inside and creates a jam‑like effect.
Chef's tips
Take the butter for creaming out of the fridge in advance – when pressed, your finger should leave a clear indentation, but the block shouldn’t be melting., If you see the crumble browning faster than the centre is baking, loosely cover the top with foil for the second half of baking., Choose apricots that are ripe but firm – when lightly pressed they should spring back rather than collapse.
How to serve
It tastes best slightly warm, about 20–30 minutes after taking it out of the oven, with a dollop of thick cream or natural yoghurt., In hot weather, serve well chilled with iced coffee or homemade compote; for larger gatherings cut into small squares and serve like sheet‑cake bites.
Watch out for
- Don’t overmix after adding the flour, or the gluten will develop and the cake will be dense.
- Insert the skewer between the fruit, as that’s where the cake bakes through the slowest.
- Apricots cut too small will release more juice and make the centre of the cake soggy.
Substitutions
- You can replace the apricots with peaches or plums, cutting them into similar‑sized pieces.
- You can swap about 50 g of wheat flour for ground almonds for a more nutty flavour.
Ingredients
- butter - 180 g
- sugar - 160 g
- egg - 3 piece
- wheat flour - 260 g
- baking powder - 10 g
- milk - 80 ml
- apricots - 350 g
- wheat flour - 100 g
- sugar - 50 g
- butter - 70 g
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, top and bottom heat. Line a roughly 24×24 cm pan with baking paper, fitting it snugly into the corners so the fruit juice doesn’t leak underneath.
- Make the crumble: put 100 g flour and 50 g sugar into a bowl, add 70 g cold butter cut into cubes. Rub with your fingers until you get clumps of various sizes, not a uniform dough. Place the bowl in the fridge.
- Wash and dry the apricots, then cut them in half and remove the stones. Cut very large fruits into quarters – the pieces should hold their shape in your hand and not fall apart when touched.
- Beat the soft butter (180 g) with 160 g sugar using a mixer for 3–4 minutes, until the mixture is noticeably paler and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula so no streaks of butter remain.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing briefly after each addition until you get a smooth, uniform batter with no lumps of egg white. If the mixture starts to curdle slightly, increase the speed for a moment until it becomes creamy again.
- In a separate bowl, mix 260 g flour with the baking powder. Add it to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, mixing briefly just until combined. The finished batter should be thick and slowly fall off the spatula.
- Transfer the batter to the pan and smooth the top with a spatula or a damp spoon. The surface should be fairly even, without deep hollows, so the fruit doesn’t sink but only nestles in slightly.
- Arrange the apricot halves cut‑side up on the batter, gently pressing so the batter surrounds the sides of the fruit while the tops remain exposed. Leave small gaps, as the cake will rise between the fruits.
- Take the crumble out of the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the top, leaving the tips of the apricots visible. The clumps should hold their shape and not merge into one flat layer.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 35–40 minutes, until the crumble is golden and the edges of the cake are slightly pulling away from the pan. A skewer inserted between the fruit should come out dry or with a few crumbs.
- Leave the baked cake in the pan to cool slightly. The centre should stop wobbling when you move the pan, and the crumble should feel dry and crisp to the touch – then cut into portions.
Storage
Store tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days – the centre becomes more moist day by day from the apricot juice and the crumble softens. You can freeze individual pieces; after thawing the top will be less crunchy, but the flavour will remain buttery and fruity.
I like this cake best the day after baking, when the apricots turn into a soft jam under the crumble; if I have flaked almonds, I always scatter them on top.
