Apricot Sour Cream Cake

I haven't been able to post for couple of weeks. You could say that I experienced "technical difficulties", which prevented me from blogging. As the clock is ticking for my antiquated laptop, I have to deal with the occasional break-downs. Thanks to a good friend though, I'm back up and running. I used the down-time wisely and cooked, baked, and gathered more recipes. I'll soon be adding a gluten free section to the blog, and have been experimenting with different baking ingredients. Quite a challenge! I learned from my mishaps and perfected several great cookie recipes. So, stay tuned, if you are interested in gluten free baking (GFB). I have to admit that some of my time was spent on the Pinterest site, which can become somewhat addictive. Believe me, once you get started, its very hard to stop. Check out my boards, when you get a chance . . .  I've been busy pinning. Thank God for my iPad to get get me through the last two weeks.

I've been thinking of making apricot cake for a while now. It's something that reminds me of summertime, carefree childhood, and outdoor activities. Apricot trees in my parent's garden come to mind, with branches bent from the heavy load of ripe fruits. My friends and I trying to get the unblemished and most perfect ones from way up in the trees, but usually having to settle for the slightly bruised and blotched fruits on the ground. They all tended to ripen at the same time and had a very short shelf life. So, to spread the abundance, my mother had us kids deliver baskets full of fruits to everybody in the neighborhood.  For those few weeks of summer, apricots appeared on the daily menu in the shape of cakes, dumplings, cold fruit soup, strudel, and cobblers. The rest was transformed into countless jars of delicious homemade jam. The preserves came in handy during the holiday baking season, to fill tender butter cookies or spread between the rich layers of chocolate cake.  

Fresh fragrant apricots, rich buttery batter, and a velvety sour cream topping make a delicious spring time cake. Add it to your brunch buffet, serve it with afternoon tea, or treat your family to a sweet surprise on Easter morning. If fresh apricots are not in season don't hesitate to substitute with canned fruit. Drain and pat dry before using.

Ingredients

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 stick + 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon, lemon rind, finely grated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons milk

1 pound apricots

Topping

1 1/3 cup sour cream

1 large egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons cornstarch 

Preparation

Butter a 9" x 2" round baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon rind until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. 

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Mix creamed butter with dry ingredients and milk on low speed, until well combined. Do not over-mix, as you want the end product to have a tender crumb texture.

Spread batter into prepared dish and top with apricots. Bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime prepare topping. Mix sour cream, egg, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.

Remove cake from oven and pour topping over the apricots. Return to oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until just set.

Cool on wire rack and dust with confectioners' sugar. Best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy your apricot cake!