This low fat orange and apricot tray bake makes for a healthier bake to go with your morning or afternoon cuppa. Plus it's only 246 calories per slice.
A delicious orange and apricot sponge topped with a sweet, lower fat cream cheese topping, this tray bake is simple to make and perfect for sharing too!
Not only that, the calories and fat per slice, in contrast that those amounts in cakes advertised at certain coffee shop cake counters are lower.
Talking of coffee, I used to drink coffee with milk and have several cups a day.
Whilst I love coffee, I could feel it giving me the “ups” and “downs” associated with it during the day as I indulged.
So now I generally have just one in the morning.
Then a tea at 3 in the afternoon. Very traditional I know!
I'll generally pick up an Americano with no milk on my way into work, or I might make one in my cafetiere.
At home I’ll use my old fashioned coffee machine to brew a nice black coffee.
Kenyan coffee is currently my favourite though (I fell in love with it whilst in Kenya on honeymoon last year).
Whether its a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, I can guarantee that a slice of this sweet tasting orange and apricot tray bake is just a perfect accompaniment.
This orange and apricot traybakes is simple and super quick to make. A perfect treat if you're short on time!
Jump to:
💭 Why You'll Love This Apricot Tray Bake
- Nutritional Benefits: This healthier, low-calorie orange and apricot tray bake helps to ensure that you're consuming essential vitamins and minerals. Oranges are packed with vitamin C supporting a healthy immune system and apricots are a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin A.
- Weight Management: Keeping a healthy weight is crucial for overall well-being. So with this for a lower-calorie tray bake, you can still enjoy a delicious treat within your weight management goals.
- Budget-Friendly: This homemade orange and apricot cake is cheap to make. The ingredients required are all store cupboard ones and relatively inexpensive.
- Convenience: This easy orange apricot cake is relatively straightforward to make. It's a great option for entertaining that doesn't require extensive culinary skills or time commitment.
- Delicious and Satisfying: Although lower in calories, this healthy orange and apricot tray bake doesn't compromise on taste. The combination of tangy oranges and sweet apricots creates a delightful flavour contrast!
🥘 Ingredients
- Low Fat Olive Oil Cooking Spray - or you could use a little sunflower oil.
- Dried Stoned Apricots
- Oranges - use large fresh juicy ones.
- Self-raising Flour - if you don't have self-raising flour substitute with plain / all-purpose flour and add 2 teaspoon baking powder.
- Sunflower Oil
- Light Brown Soft Sugar - substitute with light muscovado instead.
- Baking Powder
- Eggs - I use large free range eggs.
- No Fat Quark Cream Cheese - you can use no fat / reduced fat cream cheese instead.
- Icing Sugar - same as powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar.
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 How To Make Orange Apricot Cake
Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below. But here is a quick step by step guide of how to make this easy healthy orange and apricot tray bake recipe:
- Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan. Lightly spray a baking tin of about 30cm x 20cm size with low fat cooking spray. Line the base with greaseproof paper.
- Cut the apricots into small pieces into a hand mixing or stand mixer bowl.
- Grate the rind off the oranges, avoiding any white pith going into the bowl.
- Squeeze the oranges to get the orange juice you'll need for the topping and put aside.
- Sift the flour into the bowl, add the oil, brown sugar and baking powder.
- Break the eggs into a separate bowl and lightly whisk these together before adding them to the rest of the mixture.
- Beat the mixture firmly with a wooden spoon or use a stand mixer paddle on lowest speed to mix all of the ingredients together.
- Scrape all of the ingredients from the mixing bowl into the tin. Smooth the top flat.
- Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes. Once the mixture has risen and turned a golden colour use a wooden skewer to check that the middle is cooked. (Skewer should come out clean from the mixture).
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove, carefully, to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, make the cream cheese topping by mixing the quark, orange juice and icing sugar together and spread evenly over the top.
- Slice into 15 equal slices.
🍽 Equipment
For This Apricot Tray Bake You May Need....
The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.
This means that if you click on it and then buy that product, I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).
If you do click through, then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!
Equipment
- 30cm x 20cm shallow baking tin
- Kitchen scale
- Stand mixer or
- Large mixing bowl
- Pyrex mixing glass bowl
- Chopping board
- Kitchen knives
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Grater
- Wooden skewers
- Whisk
- Wire baking rack
This is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer I use. This KitchenAid heavy duty mixer is reliable, durable and efficient.
If you buy a KitchenAid stand mixer it's likely it will last you for life. Mine has so far!
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💭 FAQ's
How To Serve?
Leave to cool slightly before cutting into squares. You could serve these warm with some custard, cream and/or poached fruit as a dessert. Or with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
How To Store?
The slices will keep in an air tight container for around 3 days.
Variations On This Traybake?
You could make this into an apricot and sultana traybake by adding in some sultanas with the apricots at stage 2.
🍰 Other Baked Recipes You Might Also Like
📋 Orange and Apricot Tray Bake Recipe
The following links and any links in the recipe card below are affiliate links.
This means that if you click on it and then buy that product I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you of course).
If you do click through then thanks for being a part of Neil’s Healthy Meals!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cake
- Low fat olive oil cooking spray.
- 200 g dried stoned apricots
- 2 oranges
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 50 ml sunflower oil
- 175 g light brown soft sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 eggs.
For the Low Fat Cream Cheese Topping
- 250 g no fat quark cream cheese.
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon icing sugar.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C / 160C fan and lightly spray a baking tin of about 30cm x 20cm size with low fat cooking spray and line the base with greaseproof paper.
- Use scissors to cut the apricots into small pieces into a hand mixing or stand mixer bowl.
- Grate the rind off the oranges, avoiding any white pith going into the bowl.
- Squeeze the oranges to get the orange juice you'll need for the topping and put aside.
- Sift the flour into the bowl, add the oil, brown sugar and baking powder.
- Break the eggs into a separate bowl and lightly whisk these together before adding them to the rest of the mixture.
- Beat the mixture firmly with a wooden spoon or use a stand mixer paddle on lowest speed to mix all of the ingredients together.
- Scrape all of the ingredients from the mixing bowl into the tin. Smooth the top flat.
- Bake for about 30 – 40 minutes. Once the mixture has risen and turned a golden colour use a wooden skewer to check that the middle is cooked. (Skewer should come out clean from the mixture).
- Remove from oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove, carefully, to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cooled, make the cream cheese topping by mixing the quark, orange juice and icing sugar together and spread evenly over the top.
- Slice into 15 equal slices.
Nutrition
🧾 Nutrition Label
Nutritional information provided below is calculated using paid for online tools and the exact ingredients and quantities used above.
⭐ Rate The Recipe
If you’ve made this orange and apricot tray bake recipe, or any other recipes on Neil's Healthy Meals, then please let me know.
I’d love to hear what you think of my recipe in the comments below and please do rate my recipe 5* if you like it! 🙂
Martha
Made this today and it turned out really light and absolutely delicious. Loved the addition of the sweet cream cheese topping. Thanks Neil!
Neil
Thanks so much for trying out my recipe and for rating and commenting on it too Martha. Hope you are well and staying safe!