This apricot chamomile cake features three layers of white cake, thin layers of apricot preserves, and a light coating of sweet chamomile buttercream.
Cake making is a never-ending learning process. With enough curiosity and determination, one can keep pushing to explore new flavors, new combinations, and new techniques.
I share the good cakes on the blog. I can’t even tell you how many cake failures I’ve had. Ones that were too salty, too sweet, too eggy, tasted like concrete, tasted like dirt.
This apricot chamomile cake is a winner.
White Cake with Apricot Preserves
You don’t have to be a big fan of chamomile tea to enjoy this cake.
Often times, chamomile can have that medicine-like smelling/tasting quality.
However, when paired with apricot preserves, it is easier to appreciate the sweet, floral characteristics of chamomile. (Plus, the boozy soaking syrup helps.)
There are several ways to mix together cake batters. Foaming technique is used for making angel food cake. Store-bought cake mixes use the “all-in” or one bowl approach in which all the ingredients are simply mixed together all at once.
Cookies and quick breads use the traditional creaming method. It’s the most commonly used mixing process. Butter and sugar are beat together until light and fluffy. Eggs are added. And then, the liquids and dry mixture follow.
Creaming method traps air during mixing, allowing the batter to rise and expand during baking.
This white cake batter is mixed together using reserve creaming.
Reverse Creaming Method
As the name suggests, reverse creaming is the opposite of traditional creaming. It is also known as the paste method or two-stage creaming method.
In this method, the dry ingredients are first whisked together. Then, butter is added and combined with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles crumbly, coarse sand.
Eggs and any remaining liquids are then added until the mixture is thick and smooth.
The reverse creaming method produces cakes with little to no air pockets. The baked cake may not rise as high as a creamed method cake batter, but the cake itself is much softer and more tender.
Apricot Chamomile Cake Components
- White Cake: lightly flavored with chamomile. I infused chamomile in the milk used for the cake batter. While it’s not strongly flavored, you get hints of it and you can definitely smell in the cake.
- Apricot Preserves: thin layer of preserves between the cake layers.
- Sweet Chamomile Buttercream: frosting flavored with chamomile simple syrup. Cake is minimally frosted to keep cake light and not too sweet.
Note: The chamomile simple syrup is delicious on it’s own! Use it to sweeten ice tea or tart yogurt!
Edible Cake Decor
Decorate the assembled cake with fresh apricot slices. Lightly sprinkle bee pollen for a pop of earthy flavor.
On top, I lightly sprinkled on some bee pollen for a pop of earthy flavor.
If you decorate the cake with fresh flowers, be sure to use organic, pesticide-free chamomile flowers.
More Tea Infused Dessert Recipes
- This chai layer cake features three layers of chai infused cake frosted with vanilla bean Swiss buttercream.
- Perfect for milk tea fans! This boba milk tea cake consists of sweet black tea infused cake layers, milk tea buttercream, and warm brown sugar tapioca pearls.
- The iconic warm spices of golden milk are translated into this sweet Golden Milk Layer Cake topped with chopped candied nuts.
Apricot Chamomile Cake
Ingredients
Chamomile Cake:
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons dried chamomile (or about 4 chamomile tea bags)
- 2 ½ cups cake flour
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened but still cool to the touch
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup apricot preserves or jam*
Chamomile Simple Syrup:
- 2 Tablespoons dried chamomile
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
Soaking Syrup:
- ¼ cup chamomile simple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons white rum
Chamomile Buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon chamomile simple syrup
Instructions
Chamomile Cake:
- Bring milk to a simmer and remove from heat. Add tea and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out tea.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans. Tap out any excess flour. Line with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2 cups flour (reserve remaining ½ cup), sugar, baking powder, and sat. Using a paddle attachment, run mixer on low speed. With the mixing running, add butter in three additions. Continue to mix on low speed until mixture is crumbly.
- In another bowl, combined infused milk, egg, egg white, and vanilla. Add half of liquid to mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until incorporated. Add remaining half of liquid and mix until batter is thoroughly combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. The batter may look curdled. Add remaining ½ cup flour and mix until batter comes together.
- Evenly distribute batter among prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Run an offset spatula along the sides of the cake pan to loosen cake. Invert cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
Chamomile Syrup:
- Combine dried chamomile, sugar, and water in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow mixture to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out chamomile. Cool to room temperature and keep stored in the fridge until ready to use
Soaking Syrup:
- Combine ¼ cup chamomile syrup with 2 tablespoons white rum before assembling cake.
Chamomile Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment(or using a hand mixer), cream butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed. Add pinch of salt and chamomile syrup. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Assembly:
- Place one cake round on cake board (or serving plate). Brush cake layer with soaking syrup. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over cake layer. Pipe a border of buttercream along the perimeter of cake layer. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves (about 2 tablespoons) within the buttercream border. Carefully spread a thin layer of buttercream over preserves.
- Top with second cake round and repeat steps.
- Top with third cake round. Brush cake layer with soaking syrup. Spread buttercream over the top of cake. Spread buttercream around the exterior of cake to seal in any crumbs. Chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set up. Add another thin coat of buttercream all over the cake.
- Keep cake chilled until ready to serve. Allow cake to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving to soften. Decorate cake with bee pollen, fresh apricot slices and organic, pesticide-free chamomile flowers, if desired.
Notes
- I used reduced sugar apricot preserves from Trader Joe’s. It’s not as sweet as traditional preserves/jam.
- Be sure to use organic, pesticide-free chamomile flowers to decorate the cake.
- If desired, omit white rum in soaking syrup.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before eating.
What a lovely, sweet cake! And I am definitely intrigued by the chamomile flavor infused into all the different components of the cake. (p.s. I do remember carrying around a Thomas Guide. how did we ever manage before?)
The Thomas Guide seems to ancient now! I have no idea how we managed! lol :)
I was cleaning out a bookshelf the other day and actually found my book of questions book and to top it off, I have a parenting specific one too, haha! Time to slice up this cake and crack the book open with the family.
Whoa! Didn’t know they had other versions of the book. I’ll have to get the parenting one when the time comes :)
This cake sounds delicious! Such a great combination of flavors!
Thank you!
I can’t decide if I like the first part of this post more than the cake or the other way around… They are both touching (I have a special relationship with chamomile). I am so glad you wrote this and made this exact cake. Pinning to try at the right time, it will be like therapy even if I mess up making the cake.
Baking is so therapeutic. The prepping part and the eating part :)
This cake sounds as delicious as it looks!!
Thank you!
This cake looks beautiful! And I love the flowers!
Thanks so much!
What a GORGEOUS cake! I’m so intrigued by the chamomile!
I’ll have to check out that book. And have this cake while I read it too
Yes!
This is one of the prettiest cakes I have ever seen!
Thanks so much!
What a seriously gorgeous little cake!
Thank you!
Hi, I was wondering if the butter used in the cake is meant to be at room temp. (as I assume it should be) or melted. Thanks :)
Hi! Thanks for pointing that out. I have updated the ingredients list. The butter is supposed to be softened but still cool to the touch.
Wow, this looks really beautiful! I also love the soft photography!
I am still unsure where to find dried chamomile in Germany, but in the last resort I will just wait for it to grow in the wild and then dry it at home. Will report back!
Thank you! If you can’t find loose dried chamomile, you can also use chamomile tea bags.
Great post! Chamomile is definitely on my list of future must haves. When it comes to store-bought tea, I generally stick to green tea. But if I could make myself a bit of tea from my own garden, that would be a treat.
Hi there,
This looks lovely! I am planning on making it for my Mom’s birthday tomorrow!
Just wondering about the chamomile buttercream- where it says to add the chamomile syrup, how much of that should be added? The remaining amount after the 1/4 cup for the soaking syrup has been removed?
Thank you, and I can’t wait to taste it!
Sorry, never mind! I see now on the ingredients list where it is specified. Please excuse my lack of reading! :)
I hope your mom had a great birthday! And I hope the cake turned out well!
Hi! Where do you get the fresh chamomile flowers?
I grow some in my garden. They’re usually available at farmers’ markets or Trader Joe’s.
I went full on experimental in a trial of this cake, separating the batter into cupcake tins, adding lemon zest to some, fresh apricot to some, lemon zest and fresh apricot to others, then leaving the rest as is. I did a lemon zest chamomile icing, a plain chamomile icing, and a chamomile honey icing. The winner in our book was the trial with the lemon zest and fresh apricot on top of the recipe. The cake is lovely–a wonderful, light texture and moist. I would definitely recommend this recipe for tea lovers!
Have you any recipes in grams. From the UK we dont work in cups. I have tried to convert recipes but they never turn out the same. Just a thought?
Is it possible to make them as a cake in a can type?
I don’t understand the question. What do you mean by can type cake?
Bonjour, étant une grande fan de camomille j’adorais réaliser cette recette cependant je suis moins fan de l’abricot et me demandais si je pouvais remplacer par de la mangue? Est ce un bonne idée ?
Oui, la mangue serait délicieuse.