A Homemade Life: Pistacho Cake with Honeyed Apricots

Happy Friday y'all!  There is never a week I'm not thankful for Friday, but some weeks I'm more thankful than others.  Like this week.

This week I've had 7 hour long meetings, long days in court, and looming deadlines to take care of.  On top of all of that, my mother in law has been in town. 

Nerves are pretty frayed over here right now.  And fuses are short.  Nothing that a nice relaxing weekend couldn't cure, but there will be no relaxing weekends around here.  It is, after all, October.  Which means we have 2 birthday parties, a race, and....my mother in law is still here.

Since inserting a straw into a bottle of tequila isn't socially acceptable, I vote we bury ourselves in cake.  Nothing too fancy, because the last thing I've got time for now is perfecting layers and fussy frosting.  Just some sweet apricots, made sweeter with honey, in a pistachio base.  And tonight?  We're going out for dinner!

Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots (From A Homemade Life)

3/4 shelled raw pistacios

1 cup flour

2 tsp baking pwoder

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

5 ripe apricots, halved and pitted

1 Tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter a 9-inch round cake pan, and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.  Butter the paper, then dust the pan lightly with flour.  In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pistachios until very finely ground.  
2. Add the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, and pulse once or twice to mix.
3. In a measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, mixing at low speed to just combine.  Pour the batter into the cake pan, and shake the pan a bit to ensure that the batter is evenly spread.
7. Arrange the apricots cut side up on a cutting board or countertop.  
8. Using the tip of your finger, smear a blob of honey into the center of each, dividing it evenly among the ten halves.  Gently arrange them cut side up on top of the batter.
9. Slide the cake into the oven, and bake 35-40 minutes.  Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and release the sides of the pan. Continue to cool the cake until ready to serve.