Sour Cream Cake with Cocoa Filling - brown sugar

Method

• Baking Preparations: Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 350F.
• Using a paper towel, generously grease the bottom and sides of a decorative tube pan with solid shortening.
• Dust generously with all-purpose flour, shake to distribute, and tap out excess.
• Making the Filling: Pour the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in that order into a sieve over a 1-quart mixing bowl.
• Press through the sieve with the back of a spoon and set aside.
• Ingredient Preparations: Pour the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in that order into a triple sifter.
• Sift onto a sheet of waxed paper to distribute the ingredients evenly and to remove any lumps in the flour; set aside.
• Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and whisk just to combine yolks and whites.
• Add the vanilla; stir to blend.
• Place the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer.
• Making the Cake: With the flat beater (paddle), cream the butter on medium speed (#5) until it is lighter in color, clings to the sides of the mixing bowl, and has a satiny appearance (about 30 to 45 seconds).
• Maintaining the same speed, add the 1 1/2 cups sugar in a steady stream.
• When all the sugar is added, stop the machine and scrape the mixture clinging to the sides into the center of the bowl.
• Continue to cream at the same speed, or until the mixture is very light in color and fluffy in appearance (about 4 to 5 minutes).
• With the mixer still on medium speed, pour in the egg mixture, cautiously at first, tablespoon by tablespoon, as if you were adding oil when making mayonnaise.
• If at any time the mixture appears watery or shiny, stop the flow of eggs and increase the speed until a smooth, silken appearance returns.
• Then decrease to medium speed again, and resume adding eggs.
• Continue to cream, stopping the mixer and scraping the sides of the bowl at least once.
• When the mixture appears fluffy white and velvety and has increased in volume (2 to 3 minutes total from the time you began adding the eggs), detach the beater and bowl.
• Tap the beater against the edge of the bowl to free the excess.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir in one-third of the flour mixture.
• Then add one-half of the sour cream, stirring to blend together.
• Repeat this procedure, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, ending with the flour.
• With each addition scrape the sides of the bowl often, and mix until smooth.
• Baking the Cake: Spoon one-third of the thick batter into the decorative tube pan.
• Using a rubber spatula, distribute the batter evenly around the bottom.
• Sprinkle one half of the cocoa filling over the top, shaking the pan lightly to distribute the mixture evenly.
• (Do not be concerned if some of the filling clings to the outside rim of the pan.)
• Repeat with another third of the batter, distributing it evenly and smoothly.
• Sprinkle on the last half of the filling and add the final third of the batter.
• Spread the batter evenly and level it again.
• Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until the top springs back slightly when lightly touched, the sides begin to contract from the pan, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of cake.
• Making the Glazes: Fifteen minutes before the cake is finished baking, begin glaze preparation.
• Spoon the strained apricot jam into a 1-quart saucepan.
• Measure the sugar for Translucent Sugar Glaze, and sift into a 1-quart mixing bowl to remove any lumps.
• Finishing the Cake: Place the cake on a rack to cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
• While it is cooling, heat the jam just to simmering, and cook to evaporate some of its liquid and thicken it (about 2 to 3 minutes).
• Do not overcook.
• When cool, the consistency should not be as chewy as caramel candy.
• To test, put a drop of jam, which has been simmering a minute, on an ice cube.
• Then rub the jam between your thumb and forefinger to feel its consistency.
• (Different brands of jam produce different results, and you should retest if you use a different brand.)
• With mitts, tilt and rotate the pan, and gently tap it on the counter to see if the cake is releasing from the metal sides.
• If not, or if in doubt, run a small metal spatula or the thin blade of a table knife between the outer cake edge and the metal rim, freeing the sides and allowing air to get under the cake as it is rotated.
• Place a rack over the cake pan, invert it onto the rack, and carefully lift the pan to remove.
• Place the cake on its rack over a sheet of foil or waxed paper to catch the glazes drippings.
• Coat the cakes surface with the hot apricot glaze, using a pastry brush.
• Wait for 5 minutes, so the glaze will adhere to the hot cake, before you apply the next glaze; otherwise, the two merely mix together.
• Now make Translucent Sugar Glaze.
• Using another pastry brush, cover the apricot-glazed cake with it.
• If the coating is too thick, appearing opaque rather than translucent, stir in a few drops of water at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
• Use all the glaze and cover the entire cake.
• As the cake cools, the glaze will dry.
• Cooling the Cake: For prettiest results, do not move the glazed cake to a serving plate for several hours.
• Giving it time to cool completely allows the glazes to dry and prevents cracking.
• To move the cake from its rack to a serving plate, slip two long metal icing spatulas under it, crisscross them, and lift.