Devil's Food Cake Murder (Hannah Swensen, #14)(49)

If you’re using fresh apricots, peel and slice them. If you’re using jarred or canned apricots, drain them thoroughly. Mash them in a food processor with the steel blade, or puree them in a blender, or squash them with a potato masher until they’re pureed. Measure out 1 and ? cups of mashed apricots and add them to your mixing bowl. Mix well.

In another bowl, measure out the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix them together.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the apricot mixture, beating at low speed until everything is incorporated.

Mix in the chopped pecans by hand.

Coat the inside of two loaf pans (the type you’d use for bread) with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray. Spoon in the apricot bread batter, dividing it as equally as you can between the two pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for approximately one hour, or until a long toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine took exactly 60 minutes.)

Check your loaves at 50 minutes. If you think the tops are browning too fast, tent a piece of foil over the top and continue to bake until done.

Hannah’s 2nd Note: You can also bake this apricot bread in 6 smaller loaf pans, filling them about half full. If you use the smaller pans, you’ll need to bake the loaves approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Remove your pans from the oven and cool your loaves on a wire rack. Leave them in the pans for 30 minutes.

When 30 minutes have passed, loosen the edges of your loaves by running a knife around the insides of the pans and then turn the loaves out onto the wire rack to cool completely.

This is a dense, moist bread. It should be stored in a cool, enclosed place. When my loaves are completely cool, I slip them in food-size, sealable plastic bags and keep them in the refrigerator. You can also wrap them in a clean kitchen towel and store them in a breadbox…if they still make breadboxes, that is.

This bread freezes beautifully if you wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and slip it into a sealable freezer bag.

Yield: This recipes makes two bread-sized loaves or 6 small loaves.

Hannah’s 3rd Note: If you want to make this apricot bread into apricot muffins, spoon the batter into greased (or cupcake papered) muffin tins, filling them 2/3 full, and bake them at 375 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until golden on top.

If you’d like to make mini apricot muffins, fill your mini muffin tins ? full and bake them at 375 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden on top.

CHOCOLATE APRICOT BREAD PUDDING

Do not preheat the oven yet—this recipe needs to sit for a while before baking.

? cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)





1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed





? cup apricot pancake syrup***





1 cup chopped pecans





1 and ? large loaves of Sally’s Apricot Bread (the recipe makes 2 large loaves)





? cup whipped cream cheese





? cup miniature chocolate chips (I used Nestle Mini Morsels)





8 eggs, beaten





2 Tablespoons (1/8 cup) white (granulated) sugar





2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)





2 teaspoons vanilla extract





? cup salted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces, ? pound)





Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar to sprinkle on top





*** - If you can’t find apricot pancake syrup in your grocery store, you can make it yourself by mixing ? cup apricot jam with ? cup light Karo syrup.

Heat the ? cup butter, the brown sugar, and the apricot syrup in a microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for 2 and ? minutes (I used a quart measuring cup) or in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly, until the butter has melted. Take it off the heat or out of the microwave, and set it aside on the counter.

Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with Pam or another non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the apricot syrup mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the apricot syrup mixture with the chopped pecans.

Cut the ends off a loaf of Sally’s Apricot Bread. Then cut the remainder of the loaf into 14 slices.

Cut one end off the second loaf of Sally’s Apricot Bread. Cut the loaf in half. Working with the half without a heel, slice it into 6 pieces.

Lay out all 20 slices of apricot bread on the counter on a piece of wax paper. Spread all of the slices with whipped cream cheese.

Arrange 10 slices of apricot bread, cream cheese side up, in the syrup at the bottom of your baking pan. I put 3 slices against the long side of the baking pan with the bottoms of the slices against the pan wall. The opposite long side also got 3 slices with the bottoms of the slices against the pan wall. One slice went on the short side of the pan with the bottom against the pan wall, and another slice went against the opposite short wall with the bottom side against the pan wall. Two slices went in the middle of the pan with the bottoms of the slices facing each other. You can crowd the slices, even squeeze them to make them fit, but do not overlap the slices.

Sprinkle the ? cup of mini chocolate chips over the cream cheese on the apricot bread slices.

Now place the remaining slices of apricot bread, cream cheese side down, on top of the apricot bread with the chocolate chips. You’re making cream cheese, chocolate chip, cream cheese sandwiches.