Eggless, Butter-Free Apricot Cake Just as Moist as Grandma’s!

Grandma’s apricot cake was truly something special. You can still recall the scent filling the kitchen as it baked, its beautifully golden crust, rustic charm, and the tangy fruit it featured. But perhaps what left the deepest impression was its unparalleled softness. This memorable recipe, a cherished legacy from her, has been recreated by you time and again.

However, after a recent blood test showed your LDL cholesterol levels were too high (unfortunately, that’s the bad kind), it became necessary to cut back on pastries. No more liberal use of eggs, slabs of butter, and heaps of refined sugar. Needless to say, your grandmother’s recipe that used up an entire stick of butter no longer fits into your snack time. But switching to zero-fat cottage cheese and stevia? That’s not going to satisfy a sweet tooth. To sustain this long-term, finding a happy medium between health and indulgence seemed wise…

Could Vanessa Pencrec’h have the answer? This author and culinary photographer shared her vegan take on the apricot cake on Instagram – no butter, no eggs, yet still incredibly moist. To achieve such a texture without animal products, the plant-based cooking expert simply used apple sauce and almond flour.

Still skeptical? Try it out yourself. In a mixing bowl, combine 125 g of flour, 115 g of almond flour (or hazelnut flour), 6 g of baking powder, 40 to 60 g of light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of powdered vanilla. Then mix in 125 g of unsweetened apple sauce and 115 g of water or a plant-based drink (like oat milk), and finally, fold in 100 g of pitted, diced apricots. Gently stir the mixture before pouring it into a greased loaf pan.

Using a knife, make a central slit along the length of the mixture (this helps the cake rise evenly), and bake for 30-35 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 °C (or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean). Allow the cake to cool down peacefully before serving.

True, grandma might have raised an eyebrow at the mention of using apple sauce instead of butter. But at the first taste, she would have understood. The tenderness is there, the apricots are present, and no one feels deprived. It goes to show that even family recipes can evolve without losing what’s most important: the joy of eating.