We are hosting Easter Brunch on Sunday so I was super elated to read personal Chef Stephanie Ito's best thing I made this month would fit in perfectly with our menu. Here's what Stephanie has to say about her yummy Apricot Honey Bran Cakes:
Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day, and I am always on the hunt for new brunch recipes. I especially love muffins and other baked goods for breakfast. I don’t think it’s really breakfast unless there is a bite of something sweet. (Even if that “something sweet” is a banana cut up on my cereal, which is my typical weekday breakfast.) On the weekends I often splurge on something slightly more decadent than my regular Flax Plus cereal.
These little cakes, baked in individual ramekins, are a delicious sweet treat for brunch, but they also contain lots of fruit in the form of dried apricots (feel free to substitute your favorite dried fruit – I have also used dried cherries with great results) as well as fiber from the oat bran, and a healthy 8 grams of protein. I like to serve them with scrambled eggs or yogurt and fruit. I think they are the best of both worlds – just like all the foods I try to bring to my clients – tasty, sweet, and moist while still providing vitamins and minerals essential to feeling good and staying healthy.
They only take 10 or 15 minutes to put together and another 15 to bake, so they can be ready and on the table quickly, just like muffins. But since they are baked individually they have a more elegant feel to them and I love feeling like I have a whole little cake to myself. These would be the perfect treat for an Easter brunch or Mother’s Day (of course someone other than the mother being honored needs to be in charge of making them!) or any of the other spring holidays coming up.
They keep for several days covered with plastic wrap either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. I think they’re especially good leftover if you zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to warm them up again.
I hope you enjoy the spring treat! Happy eating!
Apricot Honey Bran Cakes
Adapted from Cooking Light
1 ½ cups diced dried apricots (about 7 ounces)
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup apricot nectar
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)
3/4 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; place over high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until apricots are plump. Remove from heat; cool.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, bran, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through egg white) in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Gently fold in apricot mixture.
Spoon 1/2 cup batter into each of 7 (6-ounce) ramekins coated with cooking spray. Place ramekins on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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