Maude, the spiced apricot, almond and orange cake

Sentimentally, I saved the best for last: who wasnt a little broken hearted to hear that Bea Arthur died this weekend?

This gorgeous, sophisticated cake is in honor of her.

Saturday was one of those lovely, sunny Los Angeles spring days and I had the entire afternoon before me when I heard from a friend that she had died.

I had just read about a delicious orange, cardamom and saffron cake and I had been hoping to have a go at baking it, but I didnt have any saffron and then one thing led to another and I invented this cake instead.

It is bitter, it is sweet and it is softer on the inside than you might expect it to be. Kind of like any character Bea Arthur played. Enjoy it like one of your favourite episodes.

Heat the orange juice in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the apricots, honey, zest, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.

Pre heat the oven to 375f

Grease and line a 9 inch spring form pan

Place all the dry ingredients (almond meal, semolina, flour, baking powder and sugar) in a bowl and stir to mix

Add the oil to the apricot / orange bowl and blend with an immersion blender / blender / food processor. Add the eggs and blend again.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and blend again. Add the triple sec and blend for another second.

Pour into the cake pan and bake for 15 mins at 375f then lower the temperature to 350f and bake another 30 mins or until cake is browned and feels firm to the touch.

topping:

Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for a couple of minutes until syrup thickens slightly

Pour syrup over cake and arrange apricots so that they are in a circle around the perimeter of the cake, place the orange slice in the center of the cake. Add more honey if you want a little more dramatic drizzle. I returned the cake warm oven to gather its wits (the oven was off)

Serve with yoghurt and honey or whipped cream. Serve warm if desired.