Apricot Breton Brownies: A Sweet and Tangy Legend

Every time I eat the apricots that Mamush brings me from our greengrocer on Rue Lourmel in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, I’m filled with joy and childhood memories come flooding back. I love firm, tangy apricots – the kind that when you cut them open, they stay intact, don’t get mushy or leak juices. I love their color, their sweetness, their tartness, and yes, even their pits – oh, those precious pits!

You already know about Grandpa and Grandma’s apricot tree from 11 Yotam Street – I’ve written about it several times. That tree accompanied us throughout our entire childhood; it was a symbol of so many things: Grandpa and Grandma’s home, the blooming yard that Victor watered, innocence, joy, sadness, the changing seasons, simplicity.

As a child, I liked apricots less and would wait for Grandpa to make jam from them just so I could get that enormous bag of pits. Along with the massive quantity of pits that my brother Lior and I had, we also possessed the most coveted pit boxes in the world. Grandpa had a shoe store, so we could instruct him on exactly which box we needed to make all our friends lose in the most important battle of those days – the battle for the “hole of 100.”

We would work on those boxes for hours, thinking about how to create holes that no one could hit, but also some more tempting, larger ones that would draw friends to our boxes. I remember the yard at Romema School, the boxes standing side by side, marking where to aim at each box, the feeling of victory, the feeling of defeat – a wonderful childhood.

Today I understand that the apricot tree is planted within me. The tree that was there throughout my entire childhood is no longer by my side, but it’s always with me – in flavors, in memories, and in the excitement every summer when Mamush brings the first apricots that arrive in our neighborhood.

When I created the Breton brownies with the chocolate-hazelnut spread layer some time ago, I realized there was potential for another wonderful combination: Apricot Breton Brownies! An amazing blend of Breton butter cake layer, a generous layer of exquisite apricot jam from my friend Christine Ferber from Alsace, and a luscious brownie layer.

I must say, I think this combination is even more dangerous than what I created in the first recipe. While I’ll always prefer chocolate-hazelnut spread over apricot, here the gentle tartness that the jam gives to the entire creation is simply stunning. And here too, of course, my childhood is woven in, since apricot jam is a raw material that many Hungarians use in cakes – Zserbó is an excellent example.

Apricot Breton Brownies
Baking pan/ring: 20 cm (8 inches)

Ingredients
Breton Butter Cake Base:
60g egg yolks (approximately 3 medium eggs)
100g fine sugar
125g semi-salted soft butter
175g flour
3g baking powder (half teaspoon)

Apricot Jam Core:
150g high-quality apricot jam

Brownie Layer:
150g dark chocolate (70%)
150g butter
160g eggs (approximately 3 medium eggs)
140g light brown sugar
75g flour or ground almonds

Preparation
1. Breton Butter Cake Base: Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F), grease the pan or ring and line only the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a mixer bowl, whip egg yolks with sugar until fluffy and pale.
3. Add butter and continue whipping until you get a uniform mixture.
4. Add flour and baking powder and mix until you get a dough. Remove from mixer, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead slightly by hand until the dough is uniform.
5. Transfer the dough to the pan or ring and flatten it to get a smooth, even appearance.
6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, until the cake is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool, leaving the oven on.
7. Apricot Jam Core: Pour the jam over the Breton cake base (after the base has cooled slightly). Spread into an even, relatively thick layer of jam.
8. Brownie Layer: Melt chocolate and butter over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Cool to room temperature.
9. In a mixer bowl, whip eggs with sugar until light and airy.
10. Add the melted chocolate to the eggs and whisk, then add flour or ground almonds and mix until you get a uniform mixture.
11. Pour the batter over the Breton cake layer and jam. Bake for about 20-22 minutes, until the brownie layer is baked but still very moist.
*Can be stored for at least one week in an airtight container at room temperature. The cake improves with time.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon