Ginger Honey Almond Cake with Honey-Glazed Apricots

Do you realize just how much we rely on bees to survive? Not only for our food but for the air we breathe. I think most of us know how vital bees are to agriculture and pollinating crops but I just learned if bees weren't around, most trees wouldn't get pollinated either. Which means, no oxygen. Think about that for a second.

We need to do everything we can to help and support our hardworking bees, just like the Clif Family Winery in Napa Valley does. (If the name sounds familiar, it should. These are the same folks who make Clif Bars.) Not only do they have phenomenal wines, but what they're doing to support local pollinators is truly outstanding. They're utilizing the land in and around their huge solar farm to support bees and other pollinators.

While I'm a fan of their wine, the solar grown honey spreads they produce are absolutely amazing. My favorite is the ginger because it's got an intense ginger flavor that makes you stand up and take notice. I wanted to incorporate this ginger flavor into a dessert that showcases the honey, is dairy-free and subsequently is gluten-free as well.

Looking at the recipe you'll notice I only used 2 tablespoons of honey in the whole thing. Trust me, that's more than enough to get that beautiful ginger flavor but if you want to substitute regular honey for some of the sugar, go right ahead. 

I struggled with what to call this dessert. It's sort of like a cake but also very reminiscent to a baked custard. It's really something in between. It's unique for sure and it reminds me of many desserts I had in Italy and Spain, which is what I was aiming for. Whatever you want to call it, it's a sophisticated dessert that celebrates our bee friends. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large, seedless organic navel oranges
6 large eggs
11/2 cups ground blanched almonds or almond flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. Clif Family Ginger Solar Grown Honey Spread
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Honey-Glazed Apricots:
1/3 cup Gewürztraminer wine
1 Tbsp. Clif Family Ginger Solar Grown Honey Spread

GARNISH:
Sliced peeled oranges

METHOD:

Place unpeeled oranges in a saucepan and add enough water to just until oranges float.  Bring to a boil, covered, In a skillet, stir together sliced almonds and olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until almonds are golden brown; cool. Sprinkle over cake.  then reduce heat and simmer until very soft, about 25-30 min. Drain, cool and cut in quarters. Remove any seeds.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour a deep 9-inch cake pan or springform pan.

Purée oranges in a blender or food processor until chunky.  Add eggs and process until smooth. Add ground almonds, sugar, ginger honey spread, baking powder and salt and process until very well blended. Stir in finely chopped apricots. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake until well set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes; cover with foil if top browns too quickly. Cool in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, stir together sliced almonds and olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until almonds are golden brown; remove from heat and sprinkle with salt.

In a small saucepan, combine coarsely chopped apricots and Gewürztraminer. Bring to a simmer; cook until almost dry. Stir in Ginger Honey Spread until melted.

Top cooled cake with sliced oranges, glazed apricots and almonds. Serve at room temperature with chilled Clif Family Gewürztraminer.