Tuesday, April 19, 2016 12:08 pm

This cake does double duty as breakfast and as dessert. Have on hand for unexpected guests.

Filling:
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup boiling water
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1 firm, ripe pear, cored and sliced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
¼ cup sugar

Cake:
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel:
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon water
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. To prepare filling, combine dried apricots and water in a small bowl; let stand 30 minutes. Combine remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl. Add apricots and soaking liquid; mix well. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. To prepare cake, combine flour, sugar, butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Set aside 1 cup for streusel topping.
4. Add egg to flour mixture in food processor. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk, stir well, and add to flour mixture. Add vanilla. Pulse to make a cake batter. Pour over cranberry mixture in pan.
5. To prepare streusel, add streusel ingredients to reserved flour mixture. Toss well. Sprinkle over cake batter and bake 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 12.

Recipe by Crescent Dragonwagon

Look for Relish magazine, celebrating America's love of food, each month in The Cannon Courier.

Photo credit: Mark Boughton Photography / styling by Teresa Blackburn