Apricot and Dried Cherry Loaf Cake Recipe by Mangia
Apricot and Dried Cherry Loaf Cake
The butter makes it rich; the cake flour makes it tender. Dried fruits lend not only lovely color but also a tart sweetness and texture. Serve this stylish loaf for breakfast, with a cup of tea in the afternoon, or à la mode for dessert. You can even toast it, if you wish. Like our other loaf cakes, this makes a great gift.
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried apricot halves
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 2 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ pound which is 2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Grease and flour an 8 x 4 x 22- inch loaf pan. Cut a piece of wax paper to fit the bottom of the loaf pan, place it in the pan, and grease and flour it as well.
- Soak the apricots and cherries separately in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain the fruits and chop the apricots into ½ inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
- Beat in the eggs in three batches, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
- Reduce the mixer to low and add half of the dry ingredients, then the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. By hand, fold in the cherries and apricots until fully incorporated.
- Spread the batter in the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour, until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan set on a rack; then unmold and slice. The loaf will keep, wrapped tightly in plastic, at room temperature for several days.
