We had friends over for dinner last week-end. I wanted to make a tasty dessert that made a lovely presentation, and that was relatively easy to prepare (and, of course, it had to be a hundred-year-old recipe). I flipped through my old cookbooks and found a recipe for Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake) in a church cookbook from Culbertson, Nebraska that looked like it might fit the bill.
This recipe is a winner. I feel certain that I will make it again. The Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Cake) looked wonderful, and tasted even better. It only took me a few minutes to prepare the cake batter and arrange apricot halves and chopped walnuts for the topping, and then it baked in the oven while I set the table and did other things to prepare for the dinner.
Here’s the original recipe:
I’m clueless how much butter is in a “cube” of butter. I decided to use 1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter, and that worked well.
I interpreted a “heaping teaspoon baking powder” to be 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Apricot Torte (Apricot Upside Down Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 can apricots (15 – 16 ounce can), drained
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
Step 2. Melt 1/2 cup butter in an oven-proof skillet that is about 10-inches in diameter; add brown sugar and stir. Remove from heat, and evenly space the apricot halves (cut side facing up) in the skillet. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts around the apricot halves. Set aside.
Step 3. Put the egg, sugar, and 2 tablespoons melted butter in a mixing bowl; beat until mixed. Add the milk, flour, and baking powder; beat until smooth.
Step. 4. Evenly pour the batter over the apricots and walnuts.
Step. 5. Put in oven and bake until a wooden pick comes out clean (about 35-45 minutes). Remove from oven. Let partially cool for 10 minutes, then invert the skillet on the serving plate.
I bet those walnuts are awesome baked and browned in the butter and sugar!(❁´◡`❁)
It’s always interesting to see the interpretations of today’s baking with yesterday’s recipes–“cube” of butter, like you say, and heaping baking powder (read as “power” in the recipe) and “slow” oven. Looks like your interpretations were spot-on, Sheryl. Wonderful.
I’d like to make this – sounds good. I’ll just have to get over being British and needing to do the maths about the ‘cups’. Especially ‘half a cup of butter’ Does that mean melted in this case then? And I always find instructions like ‘tablespoons of butter’ difficult, as blocks of butter don’t lend themselves to being spooned! Oh hang on, that must mean melt it first – before you can measure it. Is that right?