Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Soak the apricots
- Soak the chopped dried apricots in the dark rum for at least 30 minutes, letting them plump and absorb the alcohol. Visual cue: the apricots should look slightly swollen and glossy in the liquid.
Prep and preheat
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a mini loaf pan for easy release. Visual cue: the pan should be evenly coated so the tops stay intact.
Mix the wet ingredients
- Whisk the eggs, then stir in the honey, vegetable oil, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and apricot jam until smooth and unified. Visual cue: the mixture should look glossy and thick, not separated.
Mix the dry ingredients
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and allspice. Visual cue: the spices should be evenly dispersed without visible lumps.
Combine batter
- Fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients just until combined to avoid overmixing. Visual cue: no dry streaks should remain, but the batter can look slightly thick.
Fill and top
- Fold in the soaked dried apricots and rum, then divide the batter among the mini loaf cups and top each with slivered almonds. Visual cue: almonds should sit on top of the batter for toasted crunch.
Bake and cool
- Bake at 325°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Visual cue: the tops should be golden and set, with no wet batter clinging to the toothpick.
- Cool the mini cake loaves before serving to help the crumb firm up and slice cleanly. Visual cue: loaves will pull slightly away from the pan edges as they cool.
Notes
Pro tip: don’t overmix after adding the dry ingredients—stop when you don’t see flour streaks for a tender crumb. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze baked loaves up to 2 months. For a reduced-alcohol option, soak the apricots in unsweetened orange juice instead of rum.
