Spiced Fresh Apricot Loaf Recipe

I love this time of year. The garden is bursting with produce and all the stone fruit is gorgeous and plentiful. I'm also quite partial to making sweet loaves. They are tasty, quick to mix and don't require any sort of fussy finishing off. Here's one that takes advantage of the current cheap and fabulous supply of central Otago apricots. This loaf is delicious warm from the oven, or keep until the next day to allow the bold spices to mature. 

Spiced Apricot Loaf

2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
3 medium sized apricots - the recipe will also work with dried apricots, just use a handful
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 175deg. C. and line a standard loaf tin with baking paper.

Into a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mace. 
Set aside. 

Place the brown sugar, milk and oil into a small saucepan and melt together. 

Just heat it until the sugar is dissolved. Don't let it boil. 

Set aside to cool while you prepare the apricots. 

Once cooler, whisk in the egg.

Wash and dry the apricots. Slice them in half, then cut each half into six pieces. 

Set aside a few slices to decorate the top of the loaf. 








Stir the warm sugar and egg mixture into the dry ingredients. 

Lastly stir the apricots into the batter. 












Place into the lined loaf tin. 

Lay the apricots that had been set aside along the top of the batter. Lastly, sprinkle the raw sugar over the top and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before lifting out and onto a cooling tray. 

This loaf can also be served as a pudding with a ball of ice cream. It is delicious warm from the oven or leave it to cool completely and serve spread with lashings of butter. 

Happy Baking xx