Apricot-Nutella Breakfast Cake
Lately I have been trying to make breakfast more interesting. We seem to be always on the move lately and so I have been experimenting with portable breakfasts that taste good and use up what I already have on hand. I found a recipe for apricot-almond Dutch babies – a kind of muffin with a soft center. You use a lot of whipped egg whites and it has a wonderfully creamy batter. I decided to turn the muffins into a cake that I would fill with the rest of a jar of apricot preserves and the rest of the Nutella from World Nutella Day. We have given up Nutella for a while because they now have switched to palm kernel oil in their recipe – and we are definitely off of that! If you missed my rant on the subject, click here. But I did make an exception for World Nutella Day.
So anyway, this little cake was born. The photos didn’t turn out too great, but it was very satisfying for breakfast and lasted about a week, which was perfect. Hope you enjoy it!
METHOD:
1 ¼ cups flour – I used half unbleached white and half whole wheat
3 TBS light brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
2 large eggs, separated
¼ cup apricot preserves, plus more for filling
2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 TBS pine nuts
INGREDIENTS:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, egg yolks, preserves, butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir into dry ingredients. Beat egg whites for about 4 minutes until soft peaks form and fold into the batter. Grease a round cake pan and fill with batter. Sprinkle pine nuts on top and bake for about 25 minutes or until center is cooked. Unmold and let cool. Once cool, cut in half, horizontally and spread with Nutella and Apricot preserves.
toontz - March 30, 2009 at 11:18 am
Jen-that looks scrumptious!
I could live off of apricots. (and nuts, and chocolate…lol)
Happy Cook - March 30, 2009 at 11:33 am
You can serve this to me anytime of the day as i am a nuttela freek, i eat them almost every morning with my slice of bread. Sometimes i eat them straight from the pot too.
Bob - March 30, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Looks more interesting than my breakfast! I’m not happy to hear about Nutella going to palm kernel oil. I’m going to have to start making my own…
Sue - March 30, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Jenn,
I’m looking for your rant on palm kernel oil. I’ll add it to my canola oil rant.
Yummy looking cake.
maria - March 30, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Wow, how good does that look?! I love Nutella. But if I bring it into the house a new jar will be finished within a day!
P.S. I posted about those Ginger People goodies I received in early March the other day. 🙂
Núria - March 30, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Wow girl, you really read all the labels!!! Yeah, we have to look after our health :D. Now I’m curious and will see if the Spanish brand: Nocilla, also uses Kernel oil.
The cake looks awesome Jenn! I would love to have it for breakfast, but I’m starting to think about the bikini time ;D
dawn - March 30, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I think the photos are great! You’re crazy.
We need more nutella recipes in bloggerland.
Laurie - March 30, 2009 at 1:58 pm
What a great idea! I love recipes that have a softer batter.. I’ll be looking forward to your homemade nutella.. 🙂 I have been eating nutella brand forever.. it’s hard to give up such a household regular, but maybe it’s time to get adventurous and daring!
CurryLeaf - March 30, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Lovely I too love nutella.Hope you enjoyed your vacation.The cake is scrumptious.
Soma - March 30, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I had bookmarked a sunshine apricot breakfast cake, but with nutella it sounds even better!
lo! - March 30, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Oh. Oh. OOH.
Apricots AND nutella?
Jen, this sounds just TOO lovely. Not sure how you could make this better… unless maybe you added chocolate 🙂
Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy - March 30, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Nice, another Nutella recipe! I like the pairing with apricots, yum. I’m going to add a link to this from the Nutella Day recipes page, too 😉
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie - March 30, 2009 at 3:53 pm
This cake look just scrumptious – love the pine nuts sprinkled on top!
Peter G - March 30, 2009 at 5:55 pm
This is delicious Jenn! I love the combination of apricots and chocolate!
Superchef - March 30, 2009 at 6:34 pm
love nutella on anything..i recently made a nutella-banana crepe..will post soon!
Dragon - March 30, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I think I could have the whole cake for breakfast. So gorgeous!
nina - March 30, 2009 at 11:27 pm
I dare not keep Nutella in my house…the temptations oh dear!!! The cake is something to behold. With children in the house that cake would not have lasted 2 days!!!
Johanna - March 31, 2009 at 12:09 am
sounds delicious – have just had a burst of nutella-love but glad to hear about the palm oil so I will have a good reason not to keep eating it – and chocolate and apricot is always a good combination!
kat - March 31, 2009 at 10:20 am
That looks like a decadent little breakfast!
RecipeGirl - March 31, 2009 at 11:15 am
Major YUM girlfriend! Looks like great breakfast to me 🙂
Rico - March 31, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I get fat just looking at that, but in a nice way, so delicious, YUM
jonzie - March 31, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Oh my dear Lord! I want some!
Mrs. L - March 31, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Pretty much anything with Nutella works for me! And for breakfast? Totally works for me 🙂
Giff - March 31, 2009 at 9:32 pm
apricot and nutella sound rather delicious 🙂
Jenni - April 1, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Leftover Queen strikes again! It’s like an inside-out Sacher Torte/Muffin! Looks great. Hate to hear about the palm kernel oil in Nutella. Yet another yummy thing that must be avoided:(
Ivy - April 3, 2009 at 12:08 am
I’d eat this for breakfast any time. Yum!
Cris - April 3, 2009 at 9:59 pm
It looks scrumptious even though you think the picture did not come out good…
Leslie - April 4, 2009 at 9:10 am
Can I come over for breakfast!! 😉
Donald - April 4, 2009 at 9:56 am
mmmmm Nutella! Now this will get my day started right!
Rosa - April 4, 2009 at 7:52 pm
What a gorgeous cake! So scrumptious…
Thanks for your kind comment…
Cheers,
Rosa
Hélène - April 5, 2009 at 5:57 pm
My kids would have no problem eating this breakfast every day. This is a great way to start the day before going to school.
Kim da Cook - April 6, 2009 at 4:52 am
This sounds good I know that my other half would enjoy this as he just loves Nutella I for one will not be having this as I am not a huge fan of it. Thanks for a great breakfast.:)
marguerite - April 6, 2009 at 3:30 pm
That looks delicious!!
Sue | Cater - April 8, 2009 at 5:54 am
Heavenly if you like Nutella, which a lot of people do. What a wonderful idea to have come up with. Will have too give a try and see how it turns out.
Make Roux - April 9, 2009 at 10:19 pm
My, oh my! That looks SCRUMPTIOUS!
Suzanne (Crunchy Green Mom) - March 7, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Oh… love love love this! I am having a Nutella party at my house in two weeks. I am planning on using this recipe and when I give out the recipe cards I’ll make link this back to you on the cards and on my blog as well!!
Thanks a ton for the idea! Love your site!!
(crunchygreenmom(at)gmail(dot)com)
http://crunchygreenmom(dot)blogspot(dot)com
Harryharp - May 9, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Hi! I just made your lovely recipe today 🙂 Unfortunately it didn’t turn out as yummy as yours! I struggled with the American cup measurements….in the UK we weigh flour in grams, and liquids are measured in millilitres! So I think I probably went a bit wrong as the middle of the cake is kind of rubbery and solid. I’ll have to try it again! Also, just wondering about the flour I used- should have used self-raising flour, as there’s no baking powder in the recipe?
The Leftover Queen - May 14, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Hi Harry!
It has been AGES since I made this recipe, but if memory serves, the fluffed egg whites take the place of any need for baking powder. Thanks for your comment!
Harryharp - May 15, 2011 at 12:07 pm
Thanks very much- I’ll try making it again 🙂
Lilly Sue - February 11, 2013 at 8:37 pm
yummy!! 🙂 This looks delicious!