Apricot Chocolate Chip Cake
Theme 7: Celebration
Cookbook Used: Food We Love
Author: Australian Women’s Weekly
Fortnights are going too quickly and I’m overdue for the celebration theme.
Who doesn’t think cake when they think celebration? I was however going to go with a French onion soup for something different, as my Mum would sometimes cook it when she was entertaining, but I went with everyone’s favourite… cake, instead.
This cake sounded like an interesting combination; apricots, chocolate and coconut. It reminded me of another cake I had made with dried apricots and coconut. I’m not sure why they call for raw sugar instead of caster sugar, but I found creaming them together looked different than if I had been using caster sugar.
Still a good cake, but not really one I think I would find myself craving and really wanting to make; unlike a red velvet or hummingbird cake. Would be a good cake for picnics, and you can make it all year round since it uses dried apricots.
Apricot Chocolate Chip Cake
Australian Women’s Weekly
1 cup (150g) chopped dried apricots
1 cup (250ml) apricot nectar
125g butter, softened
2/3 cup (150g) raw sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups (120g) desiccated coconut
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (95g) dark Choc Bits
1. Combine apricots with nectar in medium bowl; stand for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to moderate (180C /160C fan-forced). Grease deep 20cm-round cake pan; line base with baking paper.
3. Beat butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, beat until combined.
4. Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in coconut then half the sifted flour and half the apricot mixture. Stir in the remaining flour, remaining apricot mixture then Choc Bits.
5. Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into apricot mixture.
6. Spread mixture into pan; bake about 1 1/4 hours. Stand cake 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
7. Serve cake dusted with sifted icing sugar, if desired.
Serves 8.
See what other bloggers go up to for the celebration theme http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/forum/topic/theme-7-celebration
Mez
Wah!!!!!
I don’ make cake because we need a Kitchen Aid… I know… I’m pissed off about it too.
Anyhoo, I was going to do F.Onion soup for the bloggy soon I want to do this cray cray thing to it.
xox
Hannah
Even though you didn’t give this rave reviews, I’d still love to try it! Love the tanginess of dried apricot 🙂
Kayla @ Fitter Than Choc
How time flies! I feel like I just finished the last theme, and it’s the celebration theme already? I was really hoping that you will give good reviews for this recipe. I love it when simple recipes turn out to be amazing. That said, I learnt something new again. I didn’t know what apricot nectar is prior to this post. This cookbook challenge is certainly teaching me lots of new things.
Johanna GGG
this looks like a cake I would crave – and now I am trying to remember if I have made it before – I thought I had but can’t remember adding coconut – sounds like I had better make it just to check if it is the one I had in mind (any excuse to bake this one will do me)
kristy @ ksayerphotography
Shame it didn’t impress you too much! I think this could work really well with white chocolate in place of the dark.
angie
Looks gorgeous no matter what you think 😉 Hmm raw sugar, don’t think I’ve ever used that in baking before either – always been caster, granulated, icing or brown.
aargle
I made this cake over 15 years ago (also in WWcakes and slices). I remember then thinking that it was delicious nevetheless it took me another 15 years to make it again. This time I thought the cake was a tad dry, not sure if that’s a result of using raw sugar or less butter than we now seem to accustomed to in today’s baking.
What do you think?
Susan
I think that combination sounds wonderful, sort of like those apricot coconut muesli bars that have been dipped in chocolate. Those are my kind of muesli bars!
penny aka jeroxie
OMG… I still need to get my American theme up…. running out of time!
Allan
mmm yumz. argh looking at your photos reminds me its time for a new camera and better lens… i want BOKEH and better F-stop !!!
p.s. when i looked at the logo for “cookbook challenge” – i actually mentally read “bookbook challenge”… smart ey…. LOL
Iron Chef Shellie
You don’t need a better camera! I have a very basic dslr and a cheap lens!
GourmetGetaways
Oh, this was a lovely surprise, somehow I read choc chip cookie so I was pleasantly surprised at the lovely looking cake I found.
It looks so delicious! Well done. You never seem excited when you make cake, I think it looks so great! … but I really am a cake girl 😉
Love the photos 🙂
Agnes
Hmm, did my comment get lost in the ether?
Agnes
Oh, it did! Anyway, I said that you’re not late for this theme – it doesn’t finish until next weekend. So you’re ahead of everyone! 🙂
leigh
This looks like my sort of cake – anything with coconut and I’m in love.
Beautiful photos as usual too!
betty
this looks delicious!
Lucy
My Mum used to make this cake quite a bit when I was growing up and it was always a huge hit with everyone who tried it! It can confirm that IT IS absolutely delicious.