Brown Butter Apricot Cake Food

APRICOT BUTTER

Steps:

• Combine the butter, apricot preserves, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Serve at room temperature.

APRICOT LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on high for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. , Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, cook butter over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Pour into a large bowl; beat in confectioners' sugar and orange juice. , Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with half of the apricot preserves. Top with a second layer; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with a third layer; spread with remaining apricot preserves. Top with the remaining layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting., Sprinkle with nuts. Store in the refrigerator.

APRICOT BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Drain apricot halves. Mash apricots to make 1/2 cup and reserve the juice.
• Cream butter and gradually add sugar until creamed well together.
• Add 3 unbeaten eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each.
• Combine 1/2 cup of water with apricots and 1/2 cup of apricot juice.
• Add alternately with flour to the creamed mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients and blend well after each.
• Pour into 2 9-inch round layer pans, well greased and lightly floured on the bottom.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.
• Cool and frost with your favorite cream cheese icing *optional*.

FRESH APRICOT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Make topping:
• Heat butter in skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Reduce heat to low and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter, then cook, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all of sugar will be melted). Remove skillet from heat and arrange apricot halves, cut sides down, close together on top of brown sugar.
• Make cake batter:
• Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a small bowl.
• Beat together butter, sugar, and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 3 to 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beat just until combined.
• Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly.
• Bake cake:
• If your skillet isn't ovenproof, wrap handle with heavy-duty foil (or a double layer of regular foil) before baking. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Wearing oven mitts, immediately invert a large plate over skillet and, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully lift skillet off cake and, if necessary, replace any fruit that is stuck to bottom of skillet. Cool to warm or room temperature.

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 UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the topping: Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan or an 8-inch square baking pan. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread the brown sugary mix in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
• Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Arrange the apricots, flesh-side down, evenly over the bottom of the pan.
• Prepare the cake batter: Add the flour to a medium bowl. Sift in the almond flour, then use your fingertips to break up any clumps that don't fit through the sieve. Add the baking powder and salt to the bowl and whisk to combine.
• In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the paddle attached, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium until combined and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
• Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the milk, mixing to combine. Continue alternating the additions of flour and milk and mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl, just until all is combined. (Make sure not to overmix during this step.)
• Spread the batter in an even layer over the apricot halves. Bake until the cake is set and doesn't jiggle when shaken, is golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
• Remove pan from the oven, and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. With the cake still in the pan, turn the pan over onto a serving platter. Wait 1 minute, then remove the pan. This cake is excellent warm, but it's also delicious at room temperature.

APRICOT CAKE WITH APRICOT BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Apricot Cake.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Trace the bottoms of two 9" X 1 1/2" cake pans onto parchment paper. Cut out the outlines. Butter and flour both pans, knocking out excess flour. Place traced parchment paper on pan bottoms.
• Pour apricot nectar into a microwave-safe liquid measuring glass. Microwave on high-power until nectar is reduced by half (should measure 1 1/2 cups). This will take 10-15 minutes. Be sure to watch as nectar reduces to ensure that it does not reduce too much. Refrigerate reduced nectar until no longer warm to the touch.
• Meanwhile, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
• In a separate bowl, combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
• Beat for a total of 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl.
• Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture.
• Finally, add 3/4 cup cooled apricot nectar to mixture.
• Beat for two minutes.
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Cool in pans on cooling racks for 10 minutes. Then, run a knife along the edge of the pans and invert onto cooling racks to cool completely.
• Apricot Buttercream.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.
• In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks.
• In a small heavy saucepan, heat 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbling. Stop stirring and cook mixture until it reaches 248-250 F, the firm ball stage. It will be thick and gooey.
• Immediately pour the syrup into the prepared egg whites, beat constantly with an electric mixer or hand mixer. Continue beating until mixture is completely cool, 3-5 minutes.
• Beat in the butter 1 Tbs at a time. If the mixture looks curdled, it is likely too cool. Let it sit at room temperature and continue to beat in butter until completely smooth. It will be curdled at first but it will set up when beaten if you allow it to come to room temperature!
• Beat in the remaining 3/4 cup reduced apricot nectar. Allow mixture to come to room temperature and it will set up smoothly when beaten.

DUTCH BUTTER CAKE WITH APRICOT TWIST (BOTERKOEK)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius (400F).
• Mix flour, sugar and salt.
• Cut the butter into pieces and mix into the flour.
• Knead the butter and the flour together with one hand until you have a firm dough ball.
• Cut the apricots in small pieces and mix them with the almonds and ginger syrup.
• Press half the dough into a 24cm/10 in round pie dish.
• Spread the apricot mixture over the top.
• Roll out the other half on a lightly floured work surface until it is the same size as the dish.
• Place over apricot filling, firmly pressing the pastry edges together.
• Now use the blunt side of a knife and decorate the dough with cross-hatching markings.
• Brush with milk.
• Bake the butter cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
• Allow to cool and just before serving slice cake into wedges.