Apricot chocolate coffeecake

12 servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
½cupBlanched almonds; chopped
2Sticks butter or margarine softened
1packCream cheese, (8 oz) softened
cupSugar
½cupUnsweetened cocoa powder,
Prefer dutch; firmly packed
5Eggs
cupCake flour
2teaspoonsBaking powder
1teaspoonBaking soda
½teaspoonSalt
6ouncesApricots, dried; chopped
6ouncesSemisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Recipe by: 365 Great Chocolate Desserts - ISBN 0-06-016537-5 Preparation Time: 1:30

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Genereously grease a 12-cup bundt pan.

Scatter ¼ cup almonds over inside of pan. In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese, and 1¾ cups sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 mins. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add to chocolate mixture. Beat with mixer on low until blended.

3. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ¼ cup almonds, remaining ½ cup sugar, apricots, and chocolate chips. Spoon half of cake batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle ⅔ of apricot mixture over center of batter (mixture will burn if it touches the sides or middle tube of pan). Spoon on remaining batter and sprinkle remaining apricot mixture on top.

4. Bake 50 to 55 mins, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan 15 to 20 mins, then invert onto a rack to let cool completely before serving.