Page 208 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

190 S H E E T C A K E S
CHOCOLATE APRICOT CAKE E
CHOCOLATE APRICOT CAK
ears ago one of my favorite
desserts was a nearly flourless
chocolate cake that
contained slivers
of dried apri-
cots. The combi-
nation of semisweet
i
chocolate and apricots was irresist ble!
Here the chocolate and apricots are in
a cake that is much, much easier to
assemble. The chocolate is in the cake
mix, and the apricots are simply the
canned variety, puréed in your food
processor or blender. The apricots add
flavor, negate the need for oil in the
batter, and add a lot of moisture—so
this cake stays fresh for days.
SERVES: 20
PREPARATION TIME: 8 MINUTES
BAKING TIME: 38 TO 42 MINUTES
ASSEMBLY TIME: 3 MINUTES
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 can (15 ounces) apricot halves, packed in
their own juice
1 package (18.25 ounces) devil’s food cake
mix with pudding
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Martha’s Chocolate Icing (page 433)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven
and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly
mist a 13- by 9-inch pan with vegetable oil
spray. Set the pan aside.
2. Drain the apricot halves, reserving the
juice. Purée the apricots in a food pro -
cessor or blender until smooth. Place the
apricot purée, reserved juice ( ⁄4 to 1 cup),
3
cake mix, eggs, and almond extract in a
large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric
mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the
machine and scrape down the sides of
the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the
mixer speed to medium and beat 2 min-
utes more, scraping the sides down again
if needed. The batter should look thick
and well combined. Pour the batter into
the prepared pan, smoothing it out with
the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the
oven.