Alternative to apricot jam under icing?

[Boscoforever]

I'm doing Mary Berry's chocolate traybake recipe. It calls for apricot jam on the sponge before the icing. I know that is the normal way. But I have a DC with Aspergers who won't be happy with that. Very restricted tastes. Is there an alternative that would be less obvious?
Thanks.

Shredless marmalade?

Or maybe just a thin sugar syrup.

What about a very thin layer of butter cream? My dd2 has ASD and won't eat jam or cake that has jam in it - even if you then remove the jam part she won't touch it. But she loves buttercream!

Is there any other jam he likes?

Or an icing sugar and water mix would work ok.

Tbh if you're using fondant you could probably get away with just dampening the top of the sponge/back of the icing

I'd brush the cake with some warmed syrup or honey to seal it instead. Would that work for him?

Oh have just re-read and I made the assumption you meant fondant style icing? If it is that sort then buttercream works to hold icing in place (I'm no Baker but make the birthday cakes to make sure there is no jam!)

Nutella?

I can't really understand the jam requirement here at all. It is usually used to stick marzipan or fondant to a cake. I would just leave it off. It might mean the icing seeps into the cake a bit, but ganache isn't very runny anyway.

The jam helps crumbs from the cake getting into the icing, so it looks better - a thin coating of sugar syrup would do the same thing.

You usually use apricot because you can’t really taste it over the cale, but you could use any jam, warn Nutella, buttercream, or a sugar syrup to get the same effect.

In this recipe you could just do a crumb coat of the chocolate icing - so make up half the amount, put it on and let it set then do the other half - since I think that's all it's there for.

I have made that recipe. I don't normally have apricot jam in the house, have used raspberry Kids not that keen or morning. Still tastes amazing. I also make it gluten free and it's still delicious!

Sorry I meant or I use nothing, stupid predictive text!

Thank you all. A sugar syrup sounds like a great alternative. Thanks for all the suggestions. He only eats a handful of things, and any kind of jam isn't one of them.

I would just leave it off. You don’t need it for this kind of recipe.