Let there be cake......

Even as the Summer comes to a slow end around here with a lot of upheavals and new experiences (an earthquake, an almost-hurricane..), Summer produce continues to flood the market. Every year, the warm weather brings an abundance of stone fruits and there is always yet another way to enjoy them.

Apricots are one of my favorite stone fruits. If you have ever tasted one baked into a cake, you will have to agree that they represent Summer in bite sized happiness! Combining them with chocolate, another mood booster was just the simplest thing to do.




Borrowing a leaf from the book of upside down cakes, I used my basic recipe for a Chocolate Zucchini loaf to make this cake and topped (or rather bottomed!) it with caramelised apricots.




This cake is best baked in a cast iron pan. The metal conducts heat evenly, enhancing the caramelization on the apricots and furthering their natural sweetness...



Caramelized Apricots Upside Down Chocolate Cake

4 ripe apricots
2 T butter
2 T granulated sugar

1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup zucchini grated
1/4 cup cocoa powder
handful chocolate chunks
1/2 cup + 2T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder

Half and stone the apricots. Melt the butter and sugar in a 6 inch cast iron pan. When the butter starts browning, arrange the apricots cut side down. Over low heat, allow the fruits to caramelize for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until batter is ready.

To make the batter, mix the wet ingredients together and sift the dry ones in a large bowl. Add the wet mixture in three parts to the dry and fold until just combined.

Pour batter over the apricots and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean. Cool on rack to room temperature before slicing.