Gopi Bouquet Almond Apricot Cake

• Wholemeal self raising flour- 1 1 /4 cup

• Eno/ fruit salt- 1/2 tsp

• Dried apricots- 1 cup

• Soya milk/ or any thick milk- 11/4 cup

• Chopped roasted almonds/peanuts- 1 1/4 cup

• Ground almonds/peanuts- 1 cup

• Vegetable margarine- 3/4 cup

• Sugar-6 tbsp

• Almond essence- 1 tsp

• Few sliced / whole almonds for decoration

 Preparation

Finely chop the apricots, put them in a bowl, pour soya milk over, cover and leave to stand for several hours, can be overnight.Coarsely grind it in the morning.

1. Preheat oven to 325F or 160C or gas mark 3

2. Grease and line the cake tin.

3. Put the flour, ground almonds, eno and baking powder in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Melt the margarine and sugar in a small saucepan over a low heat before adding it to the flour mixture.

4. Mix well and add the soaked apricots along with it’s liquid, the roasted almonds and the almond essence. Combine all thoroughly.

5. Transfer the mixture to a greased, floured cake tin. Decorate with whole almonds and bake in the middle of a warm oven for about 50 minutes till a warm knife inserted in the centre comes out cleanly.

6. Allow to cool in the tin before removing.

 For Assembling the cake

1. Make the rope of the bouquet with gumpaste and fondant or only gumpaste 4-7 days before.

2. Mix yellow and black and orange colour. Set it over a broad mouthed jar to dry.

3. Make the flowers with gumpaste and fondant or only gumpaste – atleast 4-7 days before Slice the cake in half and fill with apricot or guava jelly with apricot pieces.

4. Decorate with buttercream icing and green coloured coconut flakes.

5. Attach the rope handle on the cake and assemble the flowers on the center of the cake.

6. Decorate the sides with sliced almonds and border with star shaped icing  with tip number 32 and make leaves with tip number 352.