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Method

Day Before

Soak the apricots: In a large bowl, soak the apricots with 650 grams (about 3 cups) of water. Let the apricots soak uncovered for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.

Day Of

Prep your ingredients: While still cold from the fridge, separate the egg yolks and the egg whites of 7 large eggs into two small containers. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a container you can pour from, like a spouted measuring cup. Set the 3 whole eggs alongside the other ingredients and allow them all to come to room temperature, at least 2 hours

Make the apricot filling: Cut the soaked apricots into quarters and remove pits if any. Combine the chopped apricots with the remaining water from the bowl a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the water starts to simmer, add the sugar and stir to combine.

Cook the apricots with a heatproof spatula, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches a jam-like consistency, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the filling into a large bowl and set aside until it cools to room temperature.

Brown the butter: Cut the butter into 1-tablespoon pieces. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy, 3-4 minutes. Use a balloon whisk to cook the butter, whisking constantly until the butter starts to sputter vigorously, 1-2 minutes. Working quickly, whisk the nonfat milk powder into the saucepan to break up any clumps. Finish cooking the butter and the milk solids, whisking constantly until the sputtering subsides and the solids are deeply browned, another 2-3 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, and refrigerate until the butter has solidified but is still slightly soft to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Don’t leave the butter in the fridge too long, as the will butter become too firm to whip.

Set up to bake: With oven racks set on the upper and lower thirds of the oven, preheat to 350°F. Grease the cake pans with cooking spray, making sure to coat the sides of the pan. Line the pans with rounds of parchment paper, and slightly grease the parchment-lined bottom of each pan.

Make the cake batter: Fit the paddle attachment to the stand mixer. Add the sugar, coconut oil, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to the bowl with the cooled brown butter. Mix on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, then stop to scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a stiff silicone spatula. Continue mixing on medium for another 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.

With the mixer on medium, add the egg yolks one at a time, waiting until the yolk disappears completely before adding the next one (about 10 seconds). Add the whole eggs one at a time, repeating the method for adding the egg yolks. Once all of the yolks and the whole eggs are combined, scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Mix on medium-low for 1 minute, then turn the mixer off.

Attach a mixer shield to the the stand mixer bowl. To combine the wet and dry ingredients:

• Funnel a third of the cake flour into the bowl through the shield, and mix on low until the flour is almost incorporated, about 10 seconds, then stop the mixer.
• Set the mixer to low as you stream a third of the buttermilk mixture through the shield. Mix until just incorporated, about 10-15 seconds.
• Remove the shield and scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

Repeat this process two more times, and combine the remaining cake flour and buttermilk mixture. Stop the mixer and remove the shield. Scrape the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and with a silicone spatula, stir the batter in semi-circle motions as while slowly turning the bowl. Be sure to reach for the bottom of the bowl to make sure there aren’t any unincorporated bits stuck at the bottom.

Bake the cakes: Use the kitchen scale to divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans, about 730 grams of batter per pan. Give each pan a quick spin to distribute the batter evenly.

Place two cake pans on the lower rack and one pan on the top rack. Bake until the tops of the cakes have browned and spring back to the touch, about 35-40 minutes

Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use an offset spatula to unmold the cakes, and flip the cakes out onto a large plate or baking sheet. Peel the parchment off the cakes, and flip again so the cakes are right side up on the wire rack. Cool completely, at least 1 1⁄2 hours.

Set up to make the frosting: While the cakes cool, cut the butter into 1-tablespoon pieces while still cold from the fridge. Set the butter aside and allow it to come to room temperature (60°F to 75°F).

Clean and dry the bowl of the stand mixer, the paddle attachment, the silicone spatula, and the saucepan used to cook the apricot filling thoroughly. It is important that the stand mixer components are completely clean and dry, or the meringue for the frosting won’t whip up properly.

Make the meringue: Fill the saucepan with about 1 1⁄2 inches of water, and bring to a simmer. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites and sugar on low until homogenous and no streaks remain, 1-2 minutes. Place the stand mixer bowl over the saucepan and use a silicone spatula to stir and scrape vigorously, until the mixture reads between 175°F and 185°F (about 10-12 minutes).

Fix the bowl to the stand mixer and add the rose water, vanilla, ground cardamom, kosher salt, and cream of tartar. Mix on medium-high until the meringue holds stiff peaks, about 9-12 minutes. If the meringue isn’t holding stiff peaks, keep mixing in 30 second intervals, and check after each one (be careful not to overmix!)

Once the meringue has cooled to 90°F, set the mixer to medium speed. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for the butter to “disappear” into the meringue before adding the next tablespoon. It will look broken at first, but once you add all the butter, the frosting will become smooth.

Stop the mixer, and use a silicone spatula to scrape the whisk attachment and the sides of the bowl. With the paddle attachment, mix the frosting on medium-low for 1 minute to smooth out any air bubbles.

Assemble the cake: Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a sharp (ideally serrated) knife to level the cakes. Place a cake layer on a cake stand, and hold the knife flat against the edge of the cake where the dome begins. Carefully slide the knife across the top of the cake and treat yourself to the cake scraps! Repeat with each cake layer, and transfer the leveled cake layers to a large plate or baking sheet.

Place a leveled cake layer on the cake stand and hold the knife flat against the middle of the cake. Run the knife around the perimeter of the cake layer, making a perforation that divides the cake in half. Use the same technique from leveling the cake layers to carefully cut each layer into two halves. Repeat with each cake layer, and carefully set each halved cake aside.

Cut 4 thin strips of parchment paper, about 2 inches longer than the cake stand. Place one strip on one edge of the cake stand, and place another strip of parchment on top of the overhang of the first strip (this should create a right-angle that hangs over the cake stand). Repeat with the remaining strips to make a square border of parchment paper around the cake stand.

To fill and stack the cake:

• Place a half layer cake on a cake stand.
• Spread a third of the apricot filling across the surface of the cake.
• Top with another half layer of cake
• Using an offset spatula, spread about a cup of frosting across the top of the cake, smoothing any excess down over the sides of the cake.

Repeat these steps with the remaining cake layer halves, apricot filling, and the frosting (do not use all of the frosting here, you should have quite a bit leftover). Once all the cake layers have been filled and stacked, use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting on the sides of the cake. Chill the stacked cake in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, until just firm.

Scrape the remaining frosting onto the top of the chilled cake. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting in an even layer, allowing the excess onto the sides. Smooth the frosting on the sides into an even layer, rotating the cake stand if necessary. Use the tip of the offset spatula to decorate the cake however you’d like.

Serve right away, and store remaining slices of cake in the fridge for up to 2 days.