So, my dad really loves fruitcake. Me, not so much. But, I really love my dad.
He requested Panettone this year, as well as a dense rum fruit cake. But, he was also dreaming of a friend’s version – with whom I cannot compete. When you grow up a gourmet foodie, have a mom who can knock anyone’s socks off in the kitchen, and a group of gourmet friends who can do the same, sometimes it’s just better to step-down, submit to the competition, and go a slightly different direction.
I adore gingerbread this time of year (actually, any time of year). It’s just one of those things. Whether it be gingerbread “bread,” gingerbread cake, or gingerbread cookies (men, women, snaps), I’m all in. So, to somewhat appease Dad, traveling in the same vein as “fruitcake,” I created an amalgamation of the holiday treat, creating an Apricot Orange Ginger Spice Cake. Basically, it’s a gingerbread cake with candied fruit!

Apricot Orange Ginger Spice Cake

1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup molasses
5 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups apricot nectar
1 cup candied orange peel
1 cup raisins
1 cup candied ginger, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 9″ round cake pans or one large bundt cake pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the apricot nectar and dried fruit. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before inverting and serving.