If there’s one way that I know how to tell my friends and family that I love them, it’s by baking them something delicious. That is why it was a no-brainer to bake my mom a cake in celebration of Mother’s Day this weekend. This chocolate cake with honey roasted apricots definitely received my mother’s approval and, if anything, the amount of effort I put into it definitely demonstrated to her how much I care.

I went a bit out of my comfort zone with this recipe. Aside from the cake recipe, which I adapted from this Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe on the Free People Blog, I decided to experiment with making the frosting and roasted apricots. Whenever I try out this method, I usually end up having to make modifications and start all over again. Thankfully, I managed to get this recipe just right on the first try and saved myself multiple trips to the grocery store. My mom and family really enjoyed this recipe, and you know that you’ve baked something yummy when you immediately start receiving cake requests for upcoming birthdays.

3 3/4 cups of flour

2 1/4 cups of sugar

1 cup of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of baking soda

1 1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup of olive oil

1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar

3 cups of warm water

1 tbsp of bourbon vanilla extract

1 lb of cream cheese

2 cups of heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup of sugar

1 tbsp of bourbon vanilla extract

8-10 small apricots

1/4 cup of honey

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tbsp of cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, warm water and bourbon vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture has a smooth texture. Transfer the mixture into a large circular baking pan and bake for approximately 60-70 minutes. Let the cake cool to room temperature.

In a bowl combine the cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, sugar and bourbon vanilla extract. Use a handheld mixer to whip the ingredients until the mixture has a thick and creamy consistency.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the apricots and place them in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine the honey, olive oil and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the sliced apricots and mix the two together; you want the apricots to be completely covered in the wet ingredients. Spread the apricots evenly on a greased baking pan and bake them for 15-20 minutes. Let the roasted apricots cool to room temperature.

Slice the chocolate cake into two halves and place the top layer aside. Spread half of the frosting mixture on top of the first cake layer and then spread half of the roasted apricot slices. Place the second layer on top of the first and decorate it with the remaining whipped cream cheese frosting and roasted apricots.

Enjoy!

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I hope you all liked this recipe. Please let me know how you like it if you ever give it a try!

xoxo,

Helen