Apricot, Date And Cardamom Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 None eggs
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tbsp baking powder
4.25 oz creme fraiche or sour cream
3.5 oz dried dates, finely chopped
3.5 oz dried soft apricots, finely chopped
1 x 14 oz can peaches, drained and syrup reserved
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup orange juice
2 None cardamom pods, with the seeds squeezed out
1 None cinnamon stick
1 None star anise
1 None vanilla pod, with the seeds scraped out
3/4 cup heavy cream
None None Powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0F. Beat together 3/4 cup butter, a pinch of salt, 1 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla extract until creamy. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Stir the creme fraiche or sour cream into the butter mixture, then add the flour. Stir in dates and apricots. Pour the mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan (10 inches long, 6 cup volume) and smooth over. Bake for 65-70 mins.
For the peach sauce: caramelize 1/2 cup of sugar with 3-4 tbsp of water in a pan over a medium heat until golden brown. Pour in the peach juice, wine and orange juice. Add the cardamom, cinnamon stick, star anise, vanilla seeds and pod. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 mins over low heat. Pass the mixture through a sieve. Add the peaches to the liquid and simmer for about 2 mins. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
For the caramel sauce: caramelize 2/3 cup of sugar in a saucepan until golden brown. Pour in the cream, a pinch of salt, 1/4 cup of butter, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Simmer the caramel, stirring, over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove cake from the oven, allow to cool for 15 mins, then gently turn it out of the loaf pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar, slice it and arrange on a plate. Serve the peach and caramel sauces on the side.