Apricot-almond-rum Pound Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 tablespoons butter, for greasing tube pan (you may not need whole 2 tbsp.)
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1 cup dried apricot, chopped (or snipped with kitchen shears dipped in flour to prevent sticking)
• 1/4 cup light rum
• 3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup almond paste, broken up
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 butter a 9 inch tube pan generously, and dust with ground almonds.
• 3 combine apricots with rum and set aside.
• 4 in a large mixing bowl, cream butter with almond paste and 1/2 cup sugar.
• 5 add egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy.
• 6 mix in apricots in rum and almond extract until well blended.
• 7 mix in flour until well blended, but don't over mix.
• 8 in another bowl beat egg whites until fluffy.
• 9 into the egg whites, gradually beat in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until stiff and shiny.
• 10 mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the creamed mixture.
• 11 carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until well blended but not overmixed.
• 12 pour batter into prepared pan.
• 13 bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and cakes slightly pulls away from side of pan. i start checking at about 55 minutes.
• 14 note* the rum flavor is faint, but complimentary. if you want a more pronounced rum flavor, sub rum extract for the almond extract.