MORE APRICOTS!

     Are you tired of apricots yet?  Not me.  Yes, here's yet another apricot dessert.  My third in less than a month.  But as I mentioned the other day, strawberries are still flavorless, and altho' my rhubarb is getting bigger each day, it will probably be mid-May before there's a freshly-baked rhubarb tart in this house.  In the meantime, I am using canned apricots as quickly as I can haul them home from the grocery.  My only disappoint with this Apricot Upside-down Cake was that I didn't have a third can of apricots.  I could have easily found room for a few more apricot halves on top!

                           APRICOT UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
                                       adapted from Gourmet magazine

Topping:
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 to 3 cans apricot halves in syrup, drained and patted dry with paper towels
Cake:
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1.  Preheat oven to 375˚F.
2. Topping:  Heat butter in a 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron or heavy, nonstick, oven-proof skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides.  Reduce heat to low and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter, then cook, without stirring, for about 3 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and arrange the apricot halves, cut sides down, close together on top of the brown sugar.
3. Cake:  Sift together flour, baking powder and soda, and salt into a bowl.
4.  Beat together butter, sugar and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy.  Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then beat until mixture is creamy and doubled in volume, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 batches alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and beat just until combined.
6.  Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly.  Bake cake in middle of oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7.  After removing from oven, immediately invert a large plate over skillet and, keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate.  Carefully lift skillet off of cake and, if necessary, replace any fruit that is stuck to the bottom of the skillet.  Cool to warm or room temp.
8.  Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream.

TAKE a LOOK: