Apricot Crumb Cake - butter

Method

• Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• For the cake batter, in a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until soft and light.
• Use a hand mixer set at medium speed or a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle, if you have one.
• Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating for about 5 minutes, until very light.
• Add the egg and continue beating until lighter.
• Add the yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping the bowl and the paddle occasionally.
• Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together several times, then stir into the batter.
• To make the topping, mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl.
• Melt the butter and stir it in evenly.
• Rub the mixture to coarse crumbs by hand.
• Rinse, halve, and pit the apricots.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
• Arrange the apricot halves, leaving a margin of 1/2 inch around the edge, cut side up on the batter, but dont press them in.
• Scatter the crumbs evenly over the apricots and the batter.
• Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the crumbs are well colored and the cake is firm and no longer liquid in the center.
• Cool the cake in the pan, then run a knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan.
• Remove pan side and slide from base to a platter.
• Dust the cake lightly with the confectioners sugar.
• VARIATIONS
• PINEAPPLE CRUMB CAKE: Substitute 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, quartered in the length, and sliced, for the apricots, above.
• Arrange the pineapple slices in concentric circles and slightly overlapping on the cake batter.
• PLUM CRUMB CAKE: This is perfect in the late summer and early fall when the first Italian or prune plums come to market.
• Substitute 12 prune plums, rinsed, halved, and pitted, for the apricots, above.