1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 2 lemons
5 eggs
2 1/3 cups sugar
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
6 ounces chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped walnuts
Juice of 2 lemons
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10-inch springform pan. Add salt to lemon rind, and set aside. Beat eggs with an electric mixer until pale yellow and thickened. Gradually beat in 2 cups sugar. Combine flour with baking powder. Mix vanilla and cream. Alternately add flour and cream in small portions to egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add lemon rind and salt. Fold in apricots and walnuts. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until cake feels firm to the touch and is dry in center when tested with toothpick. Add 1/3 cup sugar to lemon juice, and stir until dissolved. Spoon mixture over warm cake, and let soak in. Allow cake to cool before serving.
Serves 12.
From “The Pleasure of Their Companies,” originally featured in Domain, Winter 1988
