Apricot Breakfast Cake

An easy cake – not too big – deliciously flavoured and moist. Perfect to have over the weekend with endless cups of steaming tea and coffee. Developed for RSC #6.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 cake

Ingredients

• 6  ounces  dried apricots, cut into small pieces
• 1  tea bag (I tried with both green tea and earl grey--both were excellent)
• 1  teaspoon ground coriander
• 4  ounces butter, room temperature
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1  teaspoon  almond extract
• 1⁄2 cup  instant powdered milk
• 1  lemon, zest of, grated
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄3 cup golden raisin

Directions

1. Brew one cup of tea and pour in small bowl over chopped apricot pieces; stir in ground coriander; allow to soak and plump for one hour; strain apricots of liquid (there will be what appears to be sediment in the liquid – not to worry, it is the coriander and we want it!), reserving liquid; there should be about ½ cup of apricot tea, if it is less, add enough water to make it equal ½ cup
2. Preheat oven to 350F and butter and flour a bundt pan (I used a silicone pan - no need to butter and flour and cake slipped right out after cooling for about 25 minutes)
3. Beat butter together with sugar until creamy and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes; add baking powder, extracts, milk powder and zests; alternate additions of flour with apricot tea and eggs; finally, dredge apricot pieces and golden raisins in a little flour and mix them into the batter
4. Spoon batter into prepared bundt pan; bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated oven, or until a sharp knife inserted into highest part of cake comes out clean (I covered my cake loosely with a piece of aluminum foil after 30 minutes); remove from oven, cool approximately 20 minutes and turn out onto serving platter; allow to cool completely and dust with icing sugar
5. Note: This cake (like most cakes incorporating dried fruit) is even better after a couple of days