Reduced Sugar Ginger Apricot Fruit Cake With Hard Sauce Icing Food

REDUCED-SUGAR GINGER-APRICOT FRUIT CAKE WITH HARD SAUCE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and line with parchment so it extends over the 2 long sides of the pan.
• In a medium bowl, toss 1/4 cup of the flour with macadamia nuts, apricots, and ginger.
• In another medium bowl, whisk to combine remaining 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In a large bowl or a stand mixer with the paddle, beat butter, sugar, and stevia until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then beat in eggs one at a time just until combined. Gently mix in flour, then fold in fruit and nut mixture.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then poke cake all over with a skewer. Very slowly pour rum all over cake and let sit 10 minutes before transferring cake to a rack to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
• Beat butter and stevia in a medium bowl or a stand mixer until smooth. Beat in rum. To serve, spread top of cake with icing, then slice.

INDIVIDUAL GINGER CAKES WITH APRICOT STICKY SAUCE

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Combine apricots and ginger in small bowl. Pour enough boiling water over just to cover; let soften 10 minutes. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.
• Combine sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and corn syrup in heavy medium skillet. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, brushing down sides with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in butter, apricots, and ginger. Add cream and vanilla. Stir over low heat until caramel bits dissolve and sauce is smooth. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)
• For cakes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9 mini-Bundt molds with nonstick spray; generously butter same molds. Sift flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and allspice into medium bowl. Combine 1 cup hot water and espresso powder in small bowl and stir to dissolve. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in molasses, then eggs and fresh ginger. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with espresso mixture in 2 additions. Divide among 9 prepared molds. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake cakes until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes; turn out onto baking sheet. (Can be made 6 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven 8 minutes.) Serve ginger cakes warm with warm apricot sauce.

SPICY GINGER APPLESAUCE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch glass or light-colored metal baking pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until light, about 1 minute. Add applesauce, oil, fresh and ground ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk to combine.
• Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder, and whisk until just combined. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and firmly tap the pan on a countertop to release air bubbles. Bake the cake until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack.
• When the cake is cool, make the frosting: Add the cream cheese and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high until smooth, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Turn the speed to low, and slowly add the confectioners' sugar. Mix until the sugar is moistened, then turn the mixer speed up to medium-high and whip until smooth. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the ginger, lemon zest, vanilla and salt, and mix on low.
• Spread the frosting over the cooled cake in dramatic swoops and swirls, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup crystalized ginger on top. Serve at room temperature.

GINGERED RICH FRUIT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Lightly oil a 71⁄2cm deep, 25cm round cake tin, and line it with a double layer of baking parchment.
• Mix the dried fruits, ginger and syrup, Cointreau, spices and lemon zest. Put the olive oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl, whisk together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and tip in the fruit. Fold and stir together well.
• Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2-21⁄2 hrs, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if the cake begins to over-brown. Take from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove, leaving the baking parchment in place until you decorate.
• For the topping: warm the jam and Cointreau together until the jam is liquid, allow to cool. Arrange the fruit on the cake and brush with the jam.

LOW-SUGAR APRICOT BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Stir together and simmer in saucepan for 15-20 minutes.
• Cool and refrigerate until needed.

FRUITCAKE WITH APRICOT BUTTER ICING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin with a little bit of the butter, then line with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Wrap a couple of sheets of newspaper around the outside of the tin, then secure with string.
• In a food processor, whizz the almonds with the flour until the mix resembles crumbs. Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then fold in the flour and almonds, dried fruit and brandy. Scrape into the tin, level the surface and bake for 1 hr 15 mins, until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool in the tin.
• When the cake is completely cold, make the icing quickly by beating the butter, jam and icing sugar until pale. Don't allow the butter to get too warm or overbeat as the icing might split. Swirl all over the cake, then leave in a cool place to set (but not the fridge).

HEALTHY APRICOT GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line a 2-pound loaf pan with parchment or natural wax paper.
• 2. Put the dates in a small pan with the water. Bring to a boil, cook for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat. Sieve the flours, baking powder and spices into a bowl and mix in the apricots and almonds.
• 3. Stir in the wet date mixture and the fruit juice and spoon mixture into the prepared pan.
• 4. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• 5. Leave the cake to cool in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and remove the wax paper. Serve the cake in slices.

APRICOT FRUITCAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the fruits, nuts, honey, water and lemon juice; set aside. , In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Fold into fruit mixture. Combine dry ingredients; gradually fold into the fruit mixture until evenly coated. Pour into two greased and waxed paper-lined 9x5-in. loaf pans. , With a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven, bake at 275° for 2-1/2 hours or until cake tests done. Cover with foil during the last 30 minutes. , Cool 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Remove waxed paper and wrap each cake in foil. Place in plastic bags and store in a cool, dry place.

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 FILLING AND FROSTING FOR ANGEL FOOD CAKES

Steps:

• Heat apricots by placing them in a bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Soften gelatin in the cold water. Blend apricots into the gelatin. Add lemon juice, sugar and salt and mix. Chill until slightly thickened (about 1 hour).
• Whip the cooled apricot mixture until frothy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the apricot mixture.
• Split cake into 2 or 3 layers. Fill between layers, and frost side and top. Chill overnight.