Top o’ the maar-nin’ to ya!
The following recipe is actually British in origin, but it’s a great way to begin or end the day. Makes a delicious accompaniment to a.m. coffee or as a dessert companion to a cup of softly scented herbal tea. And of course, there’s mid-afternoon if you really want to pay homage to the UK.
This GF breakfast bread (some may deem it moist and sweet enough to be called cake) was adapted from a Feb. 19 New York Times recipe by Melissa Clark. The fact that it looked appealing and Chef Bill has been craving pound cake prompted me to make a version of it, substituting my own blend of GF flours for the wheat. I also used sugar-free apricot jam instead of orange marmalade because that’s what I had in the cupboard.
The apricot cake turned a gorgeous pale caramel color, the result of a confluence of gold-colored ingredients: eggs, the jam, coconut palm sugar, and orange juice. The recipe called for the loaf to bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. I pulled mine at 40 and it was perfect.
Chef Bill’s verdict: He loves it!
Apricot Breakfast Bread
1 cup of apricot preserves (peach and orange also work)
12 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. orange zest
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup chick pea flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch *
1/4 tsp. xantham gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbs. coconut oil
* GF all-purpose baking mix may be substituted for the flours. If you do this, skip the xantham gum and baking soda.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together softened butter, sugar, lime zest and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in 1/2 cup marmalade and the orange juice.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder and salt. Fold dry ingredients into wet until just combined.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until surface of cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, 40-50 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes; turn cake out of pan and place on rack right-side up. Place a rimmed baking sheet under rack to catch the glaze.
Heat remaining 1/2 cup apricot jam in a small pot over low heat until just warm (not bubbling); whisk in coconut oil until smooth. Slather warm glaze over top of cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides. Cool completely before slicing. Oh, who am I kidding? Chef Bill’s not one to wait for just-out-of-the-oven baked goods…it slices just fine when warm.
Optional: Serve with clotted coconut cream 😉
Happy Monday!
Golden Goodness
