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Honey Apricot Mini Cake Loaf

Honey apricot mini cake loaves with rum-soaked apricots and warm cinnamon-allspice batter baked into golden, portioned loaves. Slivered almonds crown the top for a crunchy finish.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
soak 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
cake flour
  • 0.25 cup cake flour
baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
ground cloves
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
allspice
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
dried apricots, chopped
  • 0.5 cup dried apricots, chopped
dark rum
  • 0.25 cup dark rum
eggs
  • 2 eggs
honey
  • 1 cup honey
vegetable oil
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
lemon zest and juice
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
sugar
  • 0.33 cup sugar
apricot jam
  • 0.33 cup apricot jam
slivered almonds
  • 0.5 cup slivered almonds

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Soak the apricots
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.