Almond Cake With Apricot Brandy Sauce Food

ALMOND CAKE WITH APRICOT BRANDY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Lightly butter a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside.
• With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy - about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, including yolk, beating well after each addition. Add the preserves, sour cream and extract and beat for 1 minute more.
• Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; lightly fold almond paste into the batter.
• Spread evenly in prepared pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the cake is firm when the pan is lightly tapped.
• To prepare sauce, in a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more. Drizzle over cake slices.

APRICOT BRANDY POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
• Combine sour cream, brandy, and flavorings.
• Add to creamed mixture alternately with flour mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake tests done.
• Cool in pan 10-15 minutes; remove from pan, and cool completely.

APRICOT BRANDY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put cake mix and pudding mix in bowl.
• Add oil/butter, water, apricot brand and eggs and beat until smooth.
• Grease and flour a 12 cup bundt pan.
• Sprinkle nuts in the bottom of the pan.
• Pour batter in on top of nuts.
• Bake for 1 hour.
• For glaze, in a sauce pan, combine melted butter/oil, sugar, water and brandy. Boil for 3 minutes.
• After removing cake from oven pour hot glaze over hot cake and allow to set for 30 minutes, then invert onto a plate.

HEAVENLY HONEY AND APRICOT ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray a 10 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray or lightly coat with vegetable oil.
• Make fruit layer for the cake by mixing together the first 4 ingredients.
• Then sprinkle the flour over the fruit and stir a few times to blend.
• In a large bowl, mix honey, oil, arrowroot slurry and vanilla.
• In a small bowl, combine the flours, ground almond, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• Sift flour mixture into the honey mixture and stir to blend.
• Pour slightly less than half of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
• Spoon the fruit mixture evenly over the batter and then cover with the remaining batter.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cover the pan with tin foil and bake another 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out cleanly.
• Cook cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the sides.
• Cool cake completely before slicing.

APRICOT ALMOND LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Make macaroon layers:
• Trace 2 (8-inch) circles on 1 sheet of parchment paper and a third circle on second sheet. Turn sheets over and put on 2 baking sheets.
• Pulse almonds with 1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar in a food processor until very finely ground (mixture will resemble sand), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and sift in remaining 2 cups confectioners sugar, then stir until combined well.
• Beat egg whites with salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add granulated sugar a little at a time, beating, then increase speed to high and continue to beat until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 minutes.
• Stir whites into almond mixture until completely incorporated (batter will be thick), then divide batter evenly among traced circles on baking sheets (about 1 2/3 cups per circle), smoothing into 1/2-inch-thick rounds.Let rounds stand, uncovered, at room temperature until tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F. Bake macaroon layers, switching position of baking sheets halfway through cooking, until macaroons are crisp and edges are just barely pale golden, about 25 minutes. Turn off oven and let macaroons stand in oven 10 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets on racks, about 1 hour.
• Make compote while macaroon layers bake:
• Simmer dried apricots in water in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until apricots are very soft and most of liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir in preserves, then cool completely.
• Make praline almonds:
• Heat almonds in a 12-inch dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until almonds are hot but not yet colored, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners sugar and continue cooking, stirring and tossing, until almonds are lightly toasted and sugar glaze is caramelized, about 3 minutes. Immediately transfer almonds to a large sheet of foil and spread into 1 layer with a fork. Cool completely.
• Make mascarpone cream:
• Just before serving, beat together mascarpone, heavy cream, and Amaretto with cleaned beaters at medium speed until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup praline almonds, then fold remainder into cream.
• Put 1 macaroon layer on a platter and spread with one third of compote (about 1/2 cup), then spread one fourth of mascarpone cream (about 3/4 cup) on top. Make another layer with second macaroon in same manner. Top with remaining macaroon, remaining compote, and remaining cream (1 1/2 cups), then sprinkle with reserved praline almonds.