Yields 30-40 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 c. (255 g.) all-purpose flour
  • 8 oz. almond paste
  • 1½ c. (340 g.) butter, room temp.
  • 1 c. (200 g.) granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Pinch of ginger
  • Salt
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • ½ c. Sun-Maid Golden Raisins & Apricots, chopped
  • ½ c. Sun-Maid Raisins & Prunes, chopped
  • ½ c. Sun-Maid Dried Mixed Berries, chopped
  • 1½ c. water
  • 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 oz. heavy cream
  • Blanched almonds
  • Yellow food coloring
  • Red food coloring
  • Violet food coloring
  • Fruit jam of your choice

Directions

  1. Chop each pairing of dried fruit and place in individual bowls. Add ½ c. of boiling water to each bowl to soak and cook the dried fruits in individual batches. Cover and set aside.
  2. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 quarter-sheet pans with parchment. Spray with cooking spray and set them aside.
  3. Cream the almond paste, butter, sugar, egg yolks, almond extract, orange zest, lemon zest, salt and spices. Beat with a paddle until light and fluffy. Add the flour in stages, scraping the bowl between each addition. Transfer the batter into three separate medium-sized bowls.
  4. Uncover the cooked fruit, mash 'em up real good and add each to one medium bowl of cake batter. Add a couple drops of food coloring to enhance the colors of each batch.
  5. Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into each bowl.
  6. Spread each batter onto a different prepared sheet pan and bake for about 11 mins., rotating the pans halfway through. Cool on a wire rack.
  7. Spread the jam on the yellow and red layers. Stack the cakes (starting with yellow on the bottom, then red & violet) on parchment on the back of a sheet pan. Place another sheet of parchment on top and then another sheet pan. Lean on the cakes and gently press them down.
  8. Slice the cakes in long straight lines, as wide as they are thick.
  9. Scald the cream and add it to the chocolate to create a ganache. Cover and let the chocolate melt. Place the cake logs on a cooling rack and smooth the ganache over the three exposed sides. Decorate with blanched almonds and thinly sliced apricots. Refrigerate for 20 mins. Slice and serve.


Recipe courtesy of Sun-Maid and Duff Goldman