Apricots in chocolate take the cake to the top
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Combining dried apricots with bittersweet chocolate against a pleasantly moist yet crunchy butter cake is sinfully satisfying for anyone close enough to catch a whiff of this cake fresh out of the oven. Not too sweet, this batter is quick to mix and a perfect treat for starting or ending any day. Chocolate-Apricot Pound Cake 3 / 4 cup (6 ounces ) dried apricots 2 tablespoons extra-fine granulated sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 / 2 cup (4 ounces ) 60 percent bittersweet chocolate pistoles (see note ) 2 1 / 4 cups PLUS 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon potato starch 1 / 4 teaspoon baking soda 1 / 4 teaspoon salt 1 / 2 cup (4 ounces ) sour cream 1 tablespoon half-and-half 1 / 4 cup amaretto 1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 1 / 4 cups extra-fine granulated sugar 4 large eggs Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set rack in center of oven.
In a food processor, pulse apricots, the 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch to chop fruit into 1 / 2-inch pieces. Add chocolate and pulse two to three times for three seconds each or until chocolate is broken into 1 / 2-inch pieces. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, potato starch, baking soda and salt. Stir in apricot mixture. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, half-and-half, amaretto and vanilla extract. Set aside.
In bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and the 2 1 / 4 cups sugar on lowest speed for 3 to 4 minutes.
With mixer still on lowest speed, add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl.
Add flour-apricot mixture alternately with sour cream mixture in 3 to 5 additions each, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl all the way down. Mix on medium speed for 25 to 30 seconds to develop the batter’s structure.
Generously coat a 12-cup Bundt cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Fill pan about three-quarters full by depositing batter with a rubber spatula in small clumps around prepared pan instead of by pouring it into one spot. Level batter with rubber spatula.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until edges of cake are beginning to brown and surface appears dry; test for doneness by inserting a bamboo skewer in center of cake. When skewer shows just a touch of crumbs except for smears of melted chocolate, the cake is done. Remove pan from oven and place on a heat-resistant surface or wire rack.
Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely.
Makes 1 (12-cup ) Bundt cake.
Note: Pistoles are bittersweet chocolate orbs available at specialty and gourmet shops. They are not the same as chocolate chips, which usually are made of semisweet or milk chocolate and won’t melt without some graininess. Recipe from CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes From Scratch by Warren Brown (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008 )
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