Happy Mother's Day! - Apricot Cake
It was a beautiful sunny day when I found my mother sunbathing in our family room. As I approached her, I soon noticed tears in her eyes. I immediately rushed to her side with concern. She was terminally ill at the time. What if she was in pain? She looked straight into my eyes with tears rolling down her face and said "your life will never be the same without me, and that is what is causing distress for me." This is the unconditional love of a mother. Knowing she was dying, her concern was for my well-being more than for her approaching end.
I do not remember celebrating Mother's Day as a child. I grew up in India. We learned that Mother's Day was a religious holiday that had originally started in England as reverence to the Virgin Mary. Beyond this, I gave it no more importance than any other day of the year. Since I moved to the United Stated and had children of my own, we have celebrated Mother's Day annually. I am now happy to have a day where I can reminisce about the past with my own mother and look forward to the future with my children.
While I normally prefer cooking over baking, this recipe had caught my eye one day as I was browsing a magazine and inspired me to create my own version. This moist cake with a tangy flavor was a huge success, and nothing was left save a few crumbs for the dog. Happy Mother's Day!
Apricot Cake
Total Cook Time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons Apricot preserves
1/4 cup orange juice
5 apricots chopped and 3 apricots for glazing and topping
sweetened shredded coconut for topping
walnuts, chopped (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the chopped apricots and orange juice in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute or until it bubbles. Set aside to cool.
Mix all the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, cake flour, and baking powder) in a bowl.
In a mixing bowl, add eggs, sugar, vanilla, and yoghurt. Whisk together until well blended, slowly drizzle the oil in while whisking.
Transfer the flour mixture into the wet mixture, slowly whisking.
Drain the orange juice and fold the Apricots into the mixture. Add the optional chopped nuts.
Transfer the batter to a butter and flour greased 8x4x2- inch loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes until toothpick comes clean. Once done, let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Heat the apricot preserves with left over drained orange juice, take a brush and glaze the the 3 apricots and the cake. Top with shredded coconut.
Healthy Tip from Dr. Mom
Canola oil is a healthier alternative to other fats. It is low in saturated fat and high in both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. When compared to butter, it can reduce LDL cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.