Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf

This is my third bake for The Cake Slice Bakers for this month. We have the option to bake from any of our previous featured books before we start with a new book in January. Those previous books are ;

Sky High : Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Southern Cakes

Cake Keeper Cakes

The Cake Book

Vintage Cakes

Great Cakes

The Southern Cake Book

Maida Heatter's Cakes

World Class Cakes

Once again I've baked from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman. The cake I've chosen is Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf, which I've wanted to bake for ages. It is a chocolate cake, which has a spice ingredient that is not always used in bakes, ground cloves. Described by the author "Just a small amount of ground cloves gives this chocolate loaf a mysterious and complex flavor. Apricots add moisture, color, and a beautiful acidity that complements the chocolate and spice".

The cake is moist, with tender crumbs and delicious! Everything combines together perfectly, the cloves, cinnamon, cocoa powder and the apricots, with a very nice aroma from the spices. The only thing is, the chopped apricots sunk to the bottom of the cake, looks like I did not chop the apricots fine enough.  But not an issue, as the cake is really good. I will chop the dried apricots to smaller pieces the next time, as this cake is worth a repeat!

Clove-Scented Chocolate and Apricot Loaf
(from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)
serves 8 to 10
1 cup dried apricot, finely chopped
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
2. Combine the apricots and 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium mxing bowl.
3. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.
4. With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Turn the mixer to low speed and add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 of the milk. Repeat, ending with the flour. After the last addition, mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Stir in the apricots.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve.
7. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Do visit The Cake Slice Bakers official blog to see what everyone has baked this month. If you would like to join us, please leave a message with the administrator, you can find it on the left side bar.

I'm also linking this post with Cookbook Countdown #24 hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

An InLinkz Link-up