Apricot Cake Food

APRICOT BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 23cm-deep cake tin (preferably not loose-based, see tip below) and line the base with silicone or baking parchment. Mix the topping ingredients and spread over the base of the tin.
• Mix the milk and vanilla together. Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk with a tabletop or hand electric mixer until the mixture is thick, pale and increased in volume, about 5 mins. Test it is ready by lifting the whisk blades - if the mixture briefly leaves a trail, you are ready to proceed.
• Add one-third of the flour and whisk slowly to incorporate, then one-third of the milk and mix again. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk is added. Slowly whisk in the melted butter.
• Halve and stone the apricots. Place, cut-side down, in the base of the tin. Pour the cake batter over the top and slide into the oven. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed.
• Cool the cake in the tin for 20 mins, then carefully remove from the tin, peel off the lining paper and serve warm or cold.

APRICOT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a little of the butter to grease a 9-inch round baking pan with a removable bottom. Dust the pan with a little of the flour. Sift the remaining flour with the baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Cream the remaining butter with the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the flour mixture and the vanilla.
• Spread the batter in the baking pan. Arrange the apricot slices on the top. Put in the oven and bake about 25 minutes, until the top of the cake looks fairly firm and is just beginning to brown.
• Sprinkle with the granulated sugar, return to the oven and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned. Remove from the oven, allow to cool 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan. Serve the cake while it is still warm, with creme fraiche, whipped cream or vanilla frozen yogurt on the side.

APRICOT CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans. Prepare, bake and cool cake as directed on package.
• Split each cake layer in half horizontally. (I used dental floss while my husband gently held the cake in place with a clean kitchen towel. It was very easy to do!) Reserve 1 tablespoon preserves. Place one split cake layer on serving plate. Spread one-third remaining preserves on top. Repeat with remaining layers and preserves, leaving top plain.
• Prepare pudding mix as directed on package using 3/4 cup milk. In a large bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipping cream into pudding. Spread on sides and top of cake. Garnish with coconut, apricot halves and mint leaves. Warm reserved preserves to glaze apricot halves. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

APRICOT CRUMBCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round cake pan, 2-inches deep and line the bottom with a disk of parchment or wax paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and soft. Add the egg and continue beating until light. Add the yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Sift together the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Arrange the apricots skin side down on the batter in concentric rows, overlapping slightly, leaving a margin of about 1-inch around the edge. Don't be concerned if the apricots mounds slightly in the center of the cake, the top will even out as the cake bakes.
• For the crumbs, mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Melt the butter and stir it in evenly. Rub the mixture to coarse crumbs by hand. Scatter the crumbs over the apricot and the batter at the edges as evenly as possible. Bake the cake 1 hour until a knife point inserted in the center emerges clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 15 minutes and invert a plate on it. Invert onto the plate and lift off the pan. Peel off the paper and invert a rack on the cake. Invert onto the rack and cool.
• Variations: Substitute 8 pitted and quartered plums or 3 cups fresh cut pineapple.

APRICOT POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray with cooking spray. Combine flour and baking powder. Beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in half the apricots.
• Pour into prepared pan; top with remaining apricots.
• Bake 35 min. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 15 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min. Use foil handles to transfer cake from pan to wire rack. Remove foil; cool cake completely.

APRICOT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Drain apricots, reserving 3 tablespoons syrup (discard remaining syrup); set aside., Place butter in a 9-in. square baking dish. Place in oven 3-4 minutes or until butter is melted; swirl carefully to coat evenly. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange apricot halves in a single layer over brown sugar, cut side up., In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add sugar, beating on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in reserved apricot syrup. Fold in flour mixture., With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. Spoon over apricots. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Serve warm.

UPSIDE-DOWN APRICOT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with cooking spray.
• Mix brown sugar and melted butter in a small bowl and spread evenly over the pan.
• Pat the apricot slices with a paper towel to soak up any excess liquid. Line them on the bottom of the pan.
• Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Beat white sugar and softened butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy. Beat in eggs until thoroughly mixed. Add the flour mixture, sour cream, water, and vanilla extract. Beat well. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven, about 45 minutes.

ALMOND-APRICOT FOOD PROCESSOR CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter cake pan, then line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment, then sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup almonds.
• Pit and coarsely chop 6 oz. apricots. Pulse salt, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and remaining 2 1/4 cups almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add eggs, vanilla, 6 Tbsp. butter, and half of the chopped apricots; process until very smooth. Add flour and baking powder; pulse until combined, then fold in remaining chopped apricots. Transfer to prepared pan.
• Bake cake until golden brown and the center no longer jiggles when shaken, 60-70 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely.
• Meanwhile, pit and slice remaining 10 oz. apricots. Toss apricots, amaretto, if using, and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Using a whisk or an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream to soft peaks in a large bowl.
• Run a knife around edges of cooled cake and invert onto a platter.
• Serve with macerated apricots and whipped cream alongside.
• Do Ahead
• Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Let come to room temperature before serving.

SPICY APRICOT BABY FOOD CAKE

Steps:

• Beat sugar and oil.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add baby food, one jar at a time.
• Add flour - half of it with spices, then beat in remainder.
• Bake at 350 ° 1 hour in greased, floured tube or bundt pan.
• Cool right side up awhile before turning over.
• Sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar.
• Stays moist days and days and days - if you hide it.

APRICOT, ALMOND & POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Butter a 20-23cm round cake tin. If it has a loose bottom, you will need to wrap the outside with foil to prevent any of the caramel from leaking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the apricots, put the granulated sugar and 75ml water into a saucepan. Heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved. When the sugar has melted, bring to the boil and watch the syrup until it starts to turn to a deep amber colour. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until it has melted. Pour into the tin, then lay the apricots in it, cut-side down.
• For the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light with an electric whisk. Add the egg a little at a time, then the zest and almond extract. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then fold them gradually into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. Spoon this over the apricots and bake for 50 mins. To test it's baked, push a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean.
• Leave the cake to cool for 15 mins, then run a knife in-between the cake and the inside of the tin and invert it onto a plate. If any of the apricot halves get left behind in the tin carefully scoop them up - trying to keep their shape intact and not squash them too much - and put them back, cut-side up, on the cake. Leave the cake to cool, or serve warm if you want.
• Heat the apricot jam with 2 tbsp of water. Once the jam has dissolved, push it through a sieve to remove the bits of apricot. Leave it to cool a little - otherwise it overcooks the apricots, which should be perfectly cooked and not collapsing - then paint the jam thickly on the top of the cake. Leave this to set a little, then serve with crème fraîche or cream, if you like.