Apricot-Marzipan Cake

Sunday morning, the perfect time to bake a cake for the afternoon. The morning is quiet, the streets outside are still empty, and with a cup of coffee and the radio on in the background, baking is my favorite way to start a relaxing day.

Today I decided to bake a cake to use up the leftover marzipan I had from a couple cakes ago. I had kept it in a ziplock baggie in the fridge, so I was sure it would still be just as tasty as it was for the last cake. Today I chose a simple cake recipe, and with a big can of apricot halves and the leftover marzipan, I was sure it would make a great cake. Here's the recipe I decided to use:
--175 g flour
--100 g sugar
--1 tsp baking powder
--1/8 tsp salt
--125 g margarine/butter (preferably room temperature)
--2 eggs (preferably room temperature)
--1/2 tsp vanilla extract
--1 large can of apricot halves, drained
--marzipan (preferably at room temperature)
I had put out some margarine to get soft when I first woke up, and the eggs had been out on the kitchen counter all night, so they were room temperature too. It's best to start with the ingredients at room temperature so that the beaters can whip a lot of air into the batter. If the margarine and eggs are cold, they aren't quite as pliable.

I open the can of apricot halves and drain the syrup, setting aside the fruit for later. Next,
I get out my kitchen scale (with my husband still in bed, I had the kitchen all to myself!) and measure out the margarine (125g). I beat it for about 30sec. until it is light and fluffy, then
add a cap-full of pure vanilla extract and about 1/8tsp salt, and then 150g of white sugar, and I beat that mixture till it is light and fluffy. Then the 2 eggs, each for 30sec. at full speed. By whipping the eggs at full speed you really beat a lot of air into the mixture and separate all the egg proteins.

Next I sift the baking powder (1tsp), flour (about 100g), and corn starch (75g) into the mixture, and then I add a tablespoon of milk. You could use just flour, but the corn starch makes the batter even lighter and fluffier, and that's what we want! I briefly mix that together at medium speed. You don't want to beat the batter too long at this point because that (ironically) beats all the air out of the batter and would leave it heavy.

At this point I turn on the oven to upper/lower heat at 180°C (I also call to my husband who is still lazing about in bed that we can have breakfast soon!) and grease and flour my cake pan so a thin layer of flour evenly covers the surface. I scoop the batter into the pan with a rubber scraper, spreading it evenly. Then I place the apricot halves over the entire surface, gently pressing them into the batter. I use a knife to cut the marzipan in little chunks, and press the chunks gently into any free spot--or even under the apricots. And then it's time to bake! I put the cake in the lowest part of the oven so that the top doesn't brown too fast while the rest of the cake bakes.

By the time my husband gets to the kitchen table, the smell of warm cake and soft apricots is wafting through the apartment, and looking through the oven window, I can see the cake has already started to take shape.

After breakfast, I take the cake out (which baked for about 25min.) and release the springform after about 5min. so that the cake can breathe a bit. Remembering that I have some apricot jam in the fridge, I get that out and spread it over the cake surface. This extra little step prevents the top of cake from drying out and it makes the cake shiny and pretty. I can't wait to taste it!

Later, in the afternoon when the clouds have rolled in and we are back from our Sunday jog through the park, I put a pot of coffee on and cut the cake. The cake separates easily from the pan and is light and airy in the middle, with the apricot halves sitting snuggly in their spots. Little pieces of golden marzipan can be spotted here and there.

With our coffee and cream, and a piece of cake on a plate, we head into the living room to relax and enjoy the rest of our Sunday.