Apricot cake

I have a new garden challenge. What to do with a 5-gallon bucket of not-so-pretty apricots? This is the first year the blossoms on my apricot tree actually set instead of dropping off in a late frost. Unfortunately, most of them are not the best looking. So lovely little tarts and hor d'oeuvres with goat cheese are out. I'm left with salsa, chutney, and jam.

My first strategy was to make refrigerator jam. I'm sorry to say, I forgot to take pictures of the process, but it was quite simple. Remove the pits from however many apricots you wish to use. I did about half of the bucket. Heat in a pot over medium heat. Add about a 1/2 cup of water just to get the pot going a bit. Cook for about an hour. If the contents boil, turn the heat down a bit to keep it at a simmer. Occasionally give the apricots a stir and mash them with the back of the spoon.

I did not want my jam too sweet so it had some versatility. You can always add more sweetness; it's hard to take it out. I added only a 1/2 cup of sugar to the whole large pot. Continue to cook for another 15 minutes so the sugar is good an dissolved. If need be, blend the jam in a food processor or blender until the desired chunkiness. I used a stick blender in mine until it was about half chunky.

Pour carefully into jars and refrigerate. I can't say authoritatively how long it will stay good in the refrigerator. One website I read said "up to one year." That sounds like a reasonable estimate to me, just like any other jelly. It is not sterilized and sealed, so it can't be kept on a shelf.

So, the title promises an apricot cake. Here's where the jam comes in, layers of apricot jam between orange scented white cake. Yummy.

Apricot Cake
INGREDIENTS
1 white cake mix
3 egg whites
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cup water
Zest of one orange
1 teaspoon orange extract
6 apricots diced


2/3 to 1 cup(s) of apricot jam
4 cups of powdered sugar
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two 9-inch round cake pans with oil and flour. Mix the first six ingredients together until blended. Beat with a mixer on high speed for about 3 minutes until fluffy. Divide the cake batter into the two pans evenly. Sprinkle in diced apricots. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Let it cook until it starts to turn light brown. Pour butter and orange juice into the powdered sugar. Whip well until light and fluffy. 


Assemble the cake: Cut each completely cooled cake round in half. Place the first layer in the cake dish and cover with half of the apricot jam. Add the next cake layer. Frost with 1/2 cup of frosting. Cover with the next layer and spread on remaining jam. Gently place the last layer and frost the cake all around with the remaining frosting. Voila! Perfecto.

(I know my cake is two-tone. I made too little frosting at first and had to make an extra cup to finish the outside icing. This is how I learned you need four cups of powdered sugar. I didn't brown the butter or use fresh o.j. Hence the color difference. Still tasted really good.)