I have been absent for a spell. You may have read that we were burglarized. You never really know how much of an impact something like that has on your life until you experience it yourself. I’m not boohooing, but rather explaining that it has taken me nearly a month to get my shit together after the loss of my laptop! But here I am, back at it! I am also learning a new lighting set up. This is a process… Anything that requires my brain to think in numbers is always a challenge. In addition to those things, I am working very diligently on my book and hopefully, will have more news on that soon! Now, onto the sweets!

This cake totally KILLS. I pretty much love upside down anything and I always think of my brother when making them. They are his favorite and I would have sent half the cake home with him if I didn’t live 350 miles away. I used boxed cake mix with this because I AM BUSY and am completely unapologetic about this fact. You may make a cake from scratch if you’ve got the time. If not, here’s a little tip for elevating a boxed mix. Add a stick of softened butter instead of oil. BOOM! This little trick gives you a cake that is incredibly rich and flavorful.

You will need the following:

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 stick salted butter, softened (cake)
• 1/2 stick salted butter (topping)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 apricots, halved

Directions:

1. Prepare cake mix according to directions, instead of oil use the softened stick of butter.
2. In a 10″ cast iron skillet, heat remaining butter and brown sugar until bubbling. Remove from heat.
3. Place apricots interior side down into the caramel mixture.
   
4. Pour the cake batter over the apricots and spread evenly. The batter should not exceed 3/4 the depth of the pan or it will overflow when baking. You will have more batter than needed, just make a few cupcakes with the leftovers 🙂
   
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until it does not leave a dent when you touch it with your finger. Allow to cool and run a knife along the interior edge of the pan to ensure a smooth release before you turn out onto a platter. Carefully place the platter on top of the cake and flip the pan and the platter together.

This cake takes hardly any time to prepare and is a total crowd pleaser. Do it! Swearing Mom out.