Cornucopia

It’s kind of funny, that after so many years in India, there are still fruits I haven’t tried - lots of them! I just had my first bite of jackfruit and the very first encounter with fresh dates.

For me, dates were a big part of all the “African adventure” type books – crossing the dessert on camel’s back, eating nothing but dry dates, drinking nothing but water from the leather pouch – that sort of thing. But the fresh dates… well, that’s the whole other story. To make yet another literary/childhood reference, in Chronicles of Narnia, there was one particular story that came back to me after eating them. A boy, visiting Narnia of the day of its creation, planted a toffee that grew into a toffee tree, full of juicy toffee fruits – that’s how fresh dates taste like.

Juicy toffies aside, our local market is a true cornucopia these days. All the colors, textures, and smells are simply mouthwatering! And, it just so happens, it gives me a perfect excuse for baking all the delicious fruity cakes!

Apricot yogurt cake

300 g flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 egg

½- ¾ cup sugar (set 2-3 spoons aside)

100 ml oil

2 tsp lemon juice

300 g thick yogurt (like Greek yogurt or dahi)

10-12 apricots – halved

Mix flour and baking soda and set aside.

Beat egg with sugar until light and fluffy. Add oil and lemon juice and whisk together.
Add yogurt and mix. Add flour and mix. Place halved apricots (cut side up) and sprinkle remaining sugar over the fruits. Bake in 160 degrees till golden brown (45-55 min). Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
It's simply to die for!