Sunshine in a cake

Revisiting one of my all-time favorite recipes today.

If you haven’t tried it before, you should!

Springtime makes most of us instinctively want to clear things out – out with the old, in with the new. Out with the clutter, out with the dark tones of winter, out with the heavier foods and in with the light. Lighter colors, lighter clothes, lighter foods. This is one of my favorite things to make in the springtime.

Mom stumbled across this recipe years ago. It’s been one of our standbys ever since. It is so easy and quick to make, yet it is from scratch and feels wholesome to prepare.

I love the light texture of the cake – it’s technically a pound cake, but it is in no way heavy like some pound cakes are. This cake bakes up light and airy. The flavor is light as well – it sings of springtime, with its hints of orange, lemon, and apricot. There is a glaze in the recipe, although I never make it. My kids are anti-glaze, anti-icing, and prefer their cakes and cookies au naturel. Works for me. Less sugar to consume. Anyway, I hope you will give this a try.

The first time I made it, I thought, “Apricot? Really? Huh.” But, I am so glad I tried it. It is one of the family favorites – and one that is requested often by our friends as well. I would imagine you could substitute the apricot juice with some orange juice or even lemon juice, but I love it just as it is and have never felt the need to swap it out. I buy the six pack of the little bitty apricot juice cans in the grocery store, so I always have one on hand for the cake. It takes about half of one of those cans in the cake and I use the rest in the glaze if I make the cake for friends.

Sunshine Cake

3 cups sugar (I use 1 1/2 cups Splenda sugar blend)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup apricot juice/nectar (or you can use apricot brandy)
1 cup sour cream (do not use low fat sour cream, it won’t work here)
1 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
1 tsp orange extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c (apprx) apricot nectar
*if you have them on hand, you can zest a lemon and/or orange into the batter and glaze. It just amps up the flavor.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour Bundt pan or tube pan.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar.
Add in the apricot juice.
Add the sour cream, extracts and eggs, making sure they are incorporated thoroughly.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt)
Pour into baking pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 20 minutes before inverting onto cake plate.
Continue to cool for approx. 30 minutes more or until cake is completely cool.
Drizzle with glaze, if desired.