This recipe was inspired by a recipe in the best food magazine I’ve run across called Cherry Bombe. For those who aren’t familiar Cherry Bombe comes out twice a year and it’s a food magazine devoted to celebrating women in food. The pictures are gorgeous and the articles are short and to the point. The Cherry Bombe team does an excellent job of featuring the big name long term women in food as well as the up and coming, lesser known women in food. And I say it’s about time! When I started out in the food business women were few and were relegated to the pastry or salad department. I can’t remember ever working for a female executive chef, it wasn’t a glass ceiling, it was an iron ceiling! I didn’t care too much because it was always my plan to have my own business, which is what I did rather than buck the system.
It’s clear in the pages of Cherry Bombe that women are particularly gifted with the entrepreneurial spirit. As crazy as it sounds, in the end it’s just easier to own your own than it is to fight the traditional kitchen hierarchy.
Liz Prueitt, who is featured in the most recent issue of Cherry Bombe is a perfect example of that kind of spirit. Born with an artistic spirit she explored different art forms until she settled on baking. She and her husband Chad Robertson opened one of the best bakery’s around, Tartine in San Francisco in 2002. Diagnosed with celiac many years ago she has spent a much of her time developing gluten free recipes which this cake is an example of. It’s made with almond flour and corn meal. Hers is topped with oranges, I topped mine with apricots since they are in season right now.
Click here for the original recipe
Click here for to visit Cherry Bombe
And here is my version of it (p.s., it’s great for breakfast):
Recipe
Heat oven to 350
Butter a 9-inch springform pan and sprinkle with ¼ C cinnamon sugar
8 apricots, cut in half and pitted
½ C butter, room temperature
2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
½ t almond extract
¾ C ricotta
1/3 C cornmeal
1 C almond flour
1 t salt
zest from one lemon
Arrange the apricot halves in the buttered and sugared springform pan.
In a medium bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla, almond extract, and ricotta and mix well.
Add the cornmeal, almond flour, salt, and lemon zest and mix well.
Spoon the batter over the apricots and smooth the top.
Place in a preheated oven and bake 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. It can take an hour if you’re ingredients were cold when you made the cake.
Serves 12. Serve with softly whipped cream or a dollop of sour cream.
