apricot carrot cake

Everyone loves this cake, which boasts tart dried apricots and pineapple in place of the usual raisins, making it a little less sweet and more complex. Another switch is the addition of toasted walnut oil instead of walnuts, for a very subtle nutty taste.

A generous amount of Cream Cheese Frosting lends itself to decorative swirls. Dried apricots, cut in half, and pineapple chips or toasted walnut halves can also be used for garnish.

MAKES A 9-INCH TRIPLE-LAYER CAKE; SERVES 16 TO 20

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cup walnut oil (see Baker’s Note)
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger (see Baker’s Note)
• 2 cups finely shredded carrots
• ½ cup dried apricots, finely chopped
• ½ cup crushed unsweetened pineapple, well drained
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup tangerine or orange marmalade
• Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper. Dust with flour; tap out any excess.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Gradually beat in the sugar until blended. Beat in the honey, walnut oil, and ginger until well blended. Add the carrots, dried apricots, pineapple, and coconut and mix well.
3. In 2 additions, sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt right onto the batter and fold it in. Divide among the prepared cake pans.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick stuck into the center of each layer comes out moist, with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on wire racks and run a blunt knife around the edges before unmolding. This is a tender cake that will not come out of the pan easily when hot. After turning out the layers, carefully peel off the paper. Spread about 3 tablespoons marmalade thinly and evenly over the flat side of each layer. Chill the layers for several hours before frosting the cake; the layers firm up and are easier to work with when cool.
5. To assemble the cake, place one of the cold layers, marmalade side up, on a cake stand or serving plate and spread approximately ½ cup of Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over the marmalade all the way to the edge of the cake. Place a second layer, marmalade side up, on top of the first and cover with another ½ cup frosting. Finally, set the third layer in place, marmalade side up once again, and use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake, swirling decoratively.

BAKER’S NOTES

• • This recipe was tested using a California toasted walnut oil, which was very fragrant. Alternatively, you could use a good French cold-pressed walnut oil.
• • When preparing grated ginger, one of the ingredients in this cake, keep in mind the fibers run parallel to its length. So you want to grate or slice ginger across the grain, cutting those fibers short as you go along.