As quickly as I changed today’s recipe is just as quick as this New York weather has changed. It’s the tail end of Summer yet it feels like we’re in mid October with a cool Autumn breeze and I’m not complaining. I’m able turn on the oven without breaking a sweat and I’m enjoying every minute of it! Fall baking brings a sense of warmth throughout the home and with the aroma of pumpkin, it’s just simply bliss.
I must say, I’m thrilled to have started baking, especially during the Fall season. At some point, I was like you searching different recipes, scrolling through pretty pictures over Pinterest, wondering if I could make any of the scrumptious desserts I stumbled across. I often wondered, “Who are these people behind the links? How did they get their photos here?” I had no clue but what I did know, was that I wanted to attempt half of the items I pinned; and so I started.
Oblivious to what blogging was and the windows of opportunity it has led me, I began in late February on a whim with the only intention to have ‘something’ as a platform to record and look back at what I’ve done. Didn’t think anyone actually read my posts or even followed, I still kept baking and over time I realized how important photos have become. After all, we eat with our eyes.
As a result, I purchased an SLR and I’ve been practicing ever since. Have you noticed? My first DSLR photos were of Bite Size Carob Chip Cookies (a dog recipe) and all photos prior to this I’ve used an iPhone. iPhone is good but not great. I wanted more. I want the best and I still have much more to practice. As I always say, “within time.”
With this said, I’m satisfied with these photos but sometimes I think I may be a perfectionist (regarding strictly to my own photos – I’m pretty laid back everywhere else) but I still see imperfections. Yesterday I coincidentally had a similar discussion with a close friend of mine, Nina addressing the issue that I felt the need to buy yet another camera. If she were standing in front of me, she probably would’ve slapped me silly, her texts said it all. She thinks I’m crazy and I probably am. Maybe I’ll just settle with a tri-pod, for now. (I have shaky hands)
On a grocery trip to BJ’s, I stumbled across dried apricots and I immediately got excited and told Wes standing next to me, “I NEED this!” He, on the other hand, disagreed and jokingly said, “only old people eat this.” Mind you, he’s the same person who can’t stand the look of bundt cakes yet LOVED this cake. He believes bundts are old school just like apricots (whatever that means).
I’ve never had apricots before making this cake and naturally after seeing a recipe in one of my favorite Betty Crocker cook books, The Big Book of Cakes I immediately thought, I have to buy it. The end result is not bad huh? And it tastes great too.
Similar to my other Pumpkin Streusel recipe, this too was rich, moist and full of pumpkin flavor with the addition of a mild fruity flavor from the apricots. Eat it warm with brown butter frosting and it’ll make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. So so good.
How to make a Streusel Bundt Cake
- In a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan, evenly spread 3 cups of batter. Using the back of the spoon, make a 1/2-inch-deep groove in the center of the poured batter.
- Spoon filling into groove. Be sure that the filling does not touch in the outside of the sides of the pan.
- Top with remaining batter. Spread evenly to ensure even baking and no gaps will be present.
Apricot Filled Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 1 bundt cake 1x
Ingredients
Apricot Streusel
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cold butter
- 1/2 cup (about 14) dried apricots, finely chopped
Pumpkin Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
Brown Butter Frosting
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (do not use margarine)
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 3 – 4 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup (about 7) dried apricot, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan and lightly flour.
- In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients together except the apricots. When fine crumbs form, stir in apricots; set aside.
- In medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt, set aside.
- In large bowl, cream 1 cup butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin.
- On low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until blended. Fill cake using the above pictorial.
- Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean and top is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool for about 1 hour before frosting.
- Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring continuously until light golden brown; cool slightly.
- Stir in powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired consistency is developed.
- Spoon frosting over cake allowing some to drip down the sides. Garnish with apricots.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cuisine: American
Apricot Filled Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Frosting recipe adapted from Betty Crocker’s The Big Book of Cakes.