Apricot Almond Cake

Happy 4th of July!

The past month has been very busy for me- finishing my junior year of college, moving home, training and beginning work for my second year at my local YMCA day camp, planning for my semester abroad (more on that to come!), and everything else in between. Now that summer has settled into something of a steady schedule, I'm happy to have a little more time for blogging.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, and to celebrate (albeit a day late) I made him an apricot almond cake. I enjoy trying out vegan/alternative recipes, and a year or so I came across a recipe for "Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcakes" in the cookbook "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" (a book which I own and love!). The recipe was a hit with my non-vegan friends, so I decided to try it out on my family (also non-vegans, but a tougher crowd) as well. I substituted non-vegan ingredients for the vegan ones and the cake still turned out beautifully. My family loved it- especially my dad! Since then it has become his regular answer to my frequently asked question- "What should I make?" The recipe is easy, elegant, and delicious- without further ado, here it is!

Apricot-Almond Cake

modified from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 1/3 c. canola (or vegetable) oil
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. yogurt (I normally use non-fat Greek yogurt, but any kind will work; to make the recipe vegan use soy yogurt)
• 2/3 c. milk (any kind- skim, whole, soy, almond, rice, etc.)
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 3 t. almond extract
• 1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour (sometimes I substitute 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose white)
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/3 c. almond meal
• approx. 1/3 c. apricot preserves/jam, or to taste

Optional glaze:

• 1/3 c. apricot preserves
• 1 T. water
• 1/3 c. sliced almonds (to garnish)

Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 350'F and grease a small approximately 8 x 4" baking pan. 
2. In a bowl, mix oil, sugar, yogurt, milk, vanilla, and almond extract with a whisk.
3. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and almond meal, and mix until just combined. 
4. Pour batter into pan. 
5. Scoop apricot preserves into a small dish and mix well to break up clumps. 
6. Distribute small amounts of the preserves over the top of the cake. (I like to do this by making lines of preserves across the cake. Don't worry about having more preserves in some places than others- just do the best you can to evenly distribute it.)
7. Cover the preserves as much as you can by swirling or scooping the surrounding batter over the preserves. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect!
8. Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. 
9. The cake will be fairly dense and an inserted toothpick may not come out cleanly as the cake is filled with gooey preserves. If the top is golden brown and the center of the cake doesn't jiggle, it's done.
10. You can either serve as it is, or cover with a glaze- if making the glaze, combine preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Bring to a boil, stirring often.
12. Boil for about a minute, turn off the heat and stir for another 30 seconds or so, then remove from heat. There will be apricot clumps in the glaze- this is okay! 
13. Pour the glaze over the cake and distribute with a pastry brush. 
14. Finish by sprinkling with sliced almonds.
15. Note: If you would like to make cupcakes (makes 12), pour batter into lined cupcake tins and put a small dollop (approx. 1 t.) preserves into the center of each cupcake, then cover with batter. Bake for the same time, and apply the glaze with a brush. 
16. Serve and enjoy! 

Cupcake variation