Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Last Night Of The Year

Brandied Apricot Cake



Once again, it's the end of the year and it's so hard to believe that 2011 is coming to an end. Lots of excitement, resolutions to make,shopping and last minute menus for numerous parties. One favourite recipe comes to my mind at this time of the year. My grandmother and Mother would always have stewed apricots for us children to eat after the midnight service or for lunch on New Year's day. This time I made a Brandied Apricot Cake because I always have brandied apricots in a bottle on my kitchen shelf and also because the last day of the year deserves something extra special. Brandied Apricots are delicious in cakes and also to eat on their own. The cake is moist, crumbly and absolutely scrumptious!

The Recipe

1/2 cup salted butter; 1 cup brown sugar; 1 1/2 cups flour; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 kg dried Indian apricots ; 1 cup brandy; 1 tsp vanilla essence.

Soak apricots in the brandy in an airtight bottle for a week. Drain and chop apricots into small pieces. Crack the nuts, extract the kernels and chop them too. Reserve brandy for other recipes. Sieve flour and baking powder together. Place in a large mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients and mix well until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Transfer to greased and line 9 inches x 9 inches cake pan. Bake in preheated oven at 120 C for forty minutes or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool, slice and serve with wine after the midnight service and welcome the New Year. A Prosperous 2012 to all my friends and family all over the world. Cheers!

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