All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [83]
PAGE 194
ALMOND POUND CAKE
PAGE 199
A LIGHTER STACY’S CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE
PAGE 215
JEWISH POUND CAKE
PAGE 220
CLASSIC DARN GOOD CHOCOLATE CAKE
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CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO POUND CAKE
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If you want to omit the sherry, that’s fine, just add more orange juice or water instead.
Freezing Facts
You can freeze almost any cake as long as it doesn’t contain whipped cream or some other elaborate creamy frosting. Most pound cakes and Bundts are plain and simple and made for baking ahead, freezing, then thawing. Their dense structure makes them especially good keepers, up to six months in a freezer in the garage (one that isn’t opened every day). A cake’s shelf life frozen is less—about a month—if stored in the freezer compartment of a kitchen refrigerator.
APRICOT CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FILLING
APRICOT NECTAR AND LEMON are a longtime favorite flavor combination of mine, but this cake is a bit different from the usual apricot cake. It comes from reader Lynn Chaumont, a resident of Austin, Texas. She wrote me in distress hoping to find this recipe, which she had lost, only to get back in touch later saying she had found it and wanted to share it with me. I particularly enjoy the creamy coconut filling, a surprise inside, and am sure you will, too. To save time, make the filling in advance and chill it until needed.
serves:
12 to 16
prep:
25 minutes
bake:
50 to 55 minutes
cool:
45 to 55 minutes
For the filling
1 medium-size lemon
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
For the cake
Vegetable oil spray, for misting the pan
Flour, for dusting the pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 cup apricot nectar
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs
For the glaze
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons apricot nectar
1. Make the filling: Rinse and pat the lemon dry with paper towels. Grate enough zest to measure 1 teaspoon. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a medium-size bowl; you will need 2 tablespoons. Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and coconut to the mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are just combined, 1 minute. Set the bowl aside.
2. Make the cake: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then dust it with flour. Shake out the excess flour and set the pan aside.
3. Place the cake mix, 1 cup of apricot nectar, melted butter, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Spoon the filling on top of the batter, making sure it does not touch the edges of the pan, then place the pan in the oven.
4. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely, 25 to 30 minutes longer.
Recipe Reminders
MADE FOR
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PREP NOTES
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DON’T FORGET
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SPECIAL TOUCHES
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