Cherry Apricot Cake
With everything going on in the world the past few months, it’s impossible not to want to crawl into a hole and disappear. I didn’t post any recipes last week because I didn’t feel it was appropriate to write about food when the world was on fire. So, while I didn’t post anything, I did cook. I cooked a lot. Because when things get hard, when things are tough and when I’m not happy, I find solace in my kitchen. So, yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and baking. I’ve been making cakes and cookies. I’ve been grilling fish and kabobs and of course I’ve been making drinks.
Cooking doesn’t mean I’ve just been staying in my kitchen, though. I’ve also been heading to the farmers market. As a matter of fact, going to the farmers market every week has been the one thing that’s kept me sane since the shut down happened. I love getting some time to myself and going from vendor to vendor. I love seeing all the beautiful, fresh fruits and vegetables. I loved watching the produce change as the spring months approached… I can’t explain how much happiness it has brought me. I constantly asked friends and neighbors if I could pick up produce for them just so I could share the joy I got from all the deliciousness.
That deliciousness hasn’t changed. The produce has, though. While it’s been amazing since March (and even before), in recent weeks the fruit has gone from great to outstanding. Cherries showed up in May and only a couple weeks later there were apricots, peaches, and plums. I love it when the stone fruits come into season. There are so many things you can do with them: jam, pies, muffins and cobblers just to name a few. But if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you could use them in salads and savory dishes instead.
While my boys and I love to eat these amazing spring stone fruits straight out of the bowl, my favorite way to use them is in desserts. So, a couple weeks ago I made a cake. I saw a delicious strawberry cake over at Dinners, Dishes & Desserts that looked super simple to make. Using that recipe as inspiration, I came up with a cake that just screamed spring.
I swapped out the strawberries for cherries and apricots, added a little amaretto and some corn meal and ended up with a light cake that was so moist, it’d be perfect for any spring picnic. And since it’s not too sweet, you could serve it with brunch or lunch or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and have it complete a lovely grilled dinner on the deck. Any way you choose to enjoy this cake, you won’t be sorry you made it. Maybe it’ll even bring a little sunshine to these dark days. It definitely brought some sunshine into mine.
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons amaretto
- 6-8 apricots, seeded and chopped
- 1-1/2 cups cherries, stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 1 tablespoon cherry juice
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, corn meal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar on medium until light in color.
- Add vegetable oil, sour cream, and amaretto. Mix until combined.
- Gradually add the flour mixture until it's just incorporated. Fold in three-quarters of the apricots and half the cherries.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan. Top with the remaining apricots and cherries.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl.
- Add cherry juice and whisk until smooth and thick. The glaze should be slightly runny.
- Once cooled, drizzle cake with the glaze and let set. Slice and serve.
