so you have apricots and then you have apricots from my dad’s garden (or your dad’s garden you know what I mean…) it’s like you think you know something and then you discover the real thing! the smell, the taste, the softness, the way it melts in your mouth; for me there is no other..! so when you can’t enjoy them fresh your mother most likely comes up with a smart ‘jam- petite carreau’ way to help you eat the things you love..

the recipe

 

ingredients

for the cake

• 6 eggs
• 450gr. crystal white sugar
• 230ml. sunflower oil
• 250ml. fresh orange juice
• 560gr. flour
• 8gr. baking powder
• extract from 1 vanilla stick
• 3tbsp. cacao powder

for the decoration

• 250gr. apricot jam
• 5tbsp. sugar powder

 

directions

for the cake

• Before starting with the cake make sure that the eggs are left at least 20′ in room temperature.
• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C and grease two 25x10cm deep baking pans.
• Using a mixer, put the eggs and sugar together and mix them until you get a smooth mixture.
• Add the oil and orange juice and then the flour in small portions. After a while add the baking powder and vanilla.
• Pour half of the mixture in one of the baking pans.
• In the remaining one in your bowl add the cacao and mix well.
• Pour the cacao mixture into the other baking pan.
• Bake both for 35′-40′ depending on your oven.

for the decoration

• When the cakes are ready let them get cold a little bit and take them out of the pans.
• Start with the vanilla cake and using a sharp big knife (or a thread) cut the cake in two equal pieces lengthwise. Without taking the two pieces apart cut again the cake in the middle but this time vertically. You should have in the end 4 long pieces.
• Do the same procedure with the cacao cake.
• Spread at the apricot jam in all inner sides of each quarter of each cake. So that means that since the vanilla cake for example is cut in four long pieces you should spread the jam in the inside soft side of each part. Same also for the cacao parts.
• Finally reassemble the cakes but using this time 2 vanilla and 2 cacao long pieces in order to make one cake. You should have both flavors (vanilla+cacao) in the bottom side as well as in the upper side of the cake (as shown in the pictures).
• Squeeze the cakes slightly so that the jam holds all parts together nicely. When you’ll cut a slice you’ll have four ‘petites carreaux’ (small quarters!), two of both flavors with delicious apricot jam in between!
• Sprinkle some sugar powder and you’re ready for a bite!

Enjoy!