*~*~*~Poof~*~*~*
So, as it turns out, my children really, really do not care for... apricots. Not just any apricot can inspire the revulsion in my children. Oh, contraire, it must be zee canned apricot. And, frankly, I don't blame them. The things are slimy, squishy, essentially a sweet, orange snot product. Yum.
So, I'm looking for something to make to use of the apricots. Tip for the day: there are few recipes calling for canned apricots. Dried? Yes. Preserves? Absolutely. Fresh? You bet. Canned? Not so much. Then, I decided to give up the quest and just make a cake. The Darling Man has been away all weekend, teaching, and a nice supper with actual food and, perhaps, dessert seems like a nice thing to come home to. Oui? But what kind of cake was still bugging me. Carrot? Spice? What about the ever wonderful - and addictive - Beehive Cake? Nope, that one's out due to the cream filling and the moratorium on discretionary spending (along with the "cook from the pantry challenge") this month.
But, hark! What if I make some sort of creation with carrots, lots of spice, those damned apricots and a pecan praline topping? Yes? Yum!!
So, behold the Sticky Toffee Carrot-Apricot Spice Cake!
Preheat the oven to 350
Generously butter a 9" cake pan, and cover the bottom with a circle of parchment (you WILL need this to de-pan).
Cake:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla (or, if you find yourself remarkably out of vanilla, amaretto)
1 can apricots, drained and pureed (if you exercised restraint and did not fill the case of apricots, congratulate yourself and use apple sauce)
2 large carrots, shredded
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
In your mixer bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then add the sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add the vanilla, apricot puree, carrots, oil and spices and beat until combined. Add the flour, soda and baking bowder and mix until just combined.
Praline "Topping" (which is really the "bottoming" here)
In a saucepan combine 2 ounces each of the following:
butter
sugar
honey
chopped pecans
and cook it up until it's all melty and frothy.
Pour the praline mixture into the prepared pan and spread to cover the bottom. Pour the cake batter on top, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. De-pan onto your serving dish while still God-awful hot and pick the parchment off (watch your fingers - the confectionary nepalm burns).
