Apricot Cake

Dear Devon,

Summer, is perhaps my favorite season, not because of its relaxed balmy nights or the promise of vacations, but because of the sweet, ripe fruits. Every summer, I look forward to filling my fridge with apricots, peaches, watermelons, pears, and strawberries. Unfortunately, the fruits of recent summers resemble only in name and shape the fabulous fruits of years past. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have been disappointed by hard peaches, mealy pears, and green apricots. It always broke my heart to walk past those perfect looking but tasteless summer fruits. And, I am sure it’s going to be harder once I return from Barcelona. The fruit here is how I remember fruit from my childhood to taste, feel, and smell.

Juicy, sweet, and gently blushed, apricots are again my favorite summer fruit. Apricots come in two sizes, big and small. It is not the most sophisticated of classification systems, but it’s the best that I can get out of my fruit vendor. I’m partial to the smaller ones, which have a more intense honey-like flavor and are a bit more delicate. Alas, the season is already over for these gems; I will have to make it through with their larger counterparts.

The apricots are so tasty that I debated whether to bake with them. In the end, the temptation to experiment was too strong. I pieced together two of Dorie Greenspan’s recipes and invented an olive oil based cake flavored with lemon infused sugars and a splash of hazelnut oil. The cake turned out nicely, but it also turned me out of the apartment. Barcelona has been experiencing a mild summer, but August brought an inescapable wave of humidity, blinding sun, and scorching heat. (Every tourist wears a sunburn like a badge of honor. I am hidden under dark sunglasses, hat, and an impenetrable layer of spf 75 sunscreen). My tiny apartment is a death trap, especially with the oven on. But when perfectly ripe, juicy, fat apricots are in season, I can set aside temporary discomfort for a delicious slice of cake (or so I thought).


Apricot Cake
(makes one 9 inch round cake)

1 pound apricots, halved
¼ cup white sugar
2 lengths of lemon peel
½ cup brown sugar
9 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
1 tsp hazelnut oil
1 ½ cup flour
½ cup cornmeal
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a springform pan and set aside until ready to use.

Pick over and wash apricots, cleaning off any dirt and removing any bruised portions. Using a sharp knife, halve apricots and remove the stone. Continue until all the apricots are halved and pitted. Set aside until ready to use.

Put white sugar and lemon peel in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, crush the lemon peel into the sugar, infusing the white sugar with the fragrant citrus oils. Discard peel and add brown sugar. Add olive oil and mix until a thick soupy consistency. Beat in one egg at a time, followed by hazelnut oil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt. Measure out milk. Alternating between flour mixture and milk, add to the sugar-oil batter, beginning and ending with flour.

Pour batter into prepared cake form. Nestle halved apricots into the batter, creating a roughly circular pattern.

Bake in the oven 55 to 65 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. The cake test works well. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

It is best eaten the day it is made, but will keep well in an airtight container for 2 days after baking.

One For You, One For Me Pear Apple Crisps

Dear Devon,

The best pear I ever ate was in Italy. It weighed over a kilo and was about a foot long. I've never had one quite as good. I seldom eat pears. It's not that I don't like them. In fact, it's the exact opposite, I love them. But I've been disappointed by the mealy, tasteless ones so often that I don't eat them anymore. So when a friend told me about the wonderful pear he ate at lunch, I had some reservations. I decided to go to the exact same store and buy a pear to see for myself. What can I say? He was right. The juice running down my chin was a surefire indication that this was not any old pear. Since that afternoon, I've had pears on the mind. My pear apple crisp is the product of these daydreams.

Though the pears were delicious on their own, I added apples, to give the dessert some interesting texture and a variety of flavors. I am using Golden Delicious for its subtle sweetness and sustained crunchiness even after baking. I spoon the prepared fruit into four 5-inch white fluted ramekins. I like the idea of serving each guest their own pear apple crisp. But, later discovered that the portions were a bit hefty. His and Hers became a 2 for 1 deal. No matter, the remaining desserts will store nicely in the fridge for a quick dessert some other night this week.

I am using a relatively basic crumb topping: butter, flour, brown sugar, rolled oats. Two noticeable changes include a dash of cayenne pepper for a spicy surprise and a hefty 1/2 tsp of salt. Desserts need a bit of savory to calm the sweet. The natural sweetness of the fruits and the spicy cayenne stand up to the extra salt. If you are adverse to over-salted food, reduce to a 1/4 tsp of salt.
Pear Apple Crisp

3 Golden Delicious Apples
3 Bosch Pears
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Topping
4 oz cold butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ramekins or large ceramic pan. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

For the filling: Fill a large bowl with ice cubes, water, and lemon juice. Peel, core, and slice apples and pears. Place sliced fruit into lemon water to prevent oxidation. Remove fruit from acidic water. Put fruit into a large bowl, sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss until all the fruit is coated. Divide into the ceramic containers or pour into large baking dish. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Set aside while you prepare the topping.

For the topping: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into cubes. With your fingers, crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms clumps the size of small peas. This can be easily done with a stand mixer. I don't have one, too heavy and no storage space. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Don't push down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until topping is browned and filling is bubbling. It goes nicely with ice cream.

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week covered in plastic wrap. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through 10 - 15 minutes.