VELVETY APRICOT CAKE WITH BOILED ICING

1/3 cup fresh apricot halves
2 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apricot juice

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F if baking in loaf pans or 375 if baking in layer cake pans. Grease pan.

TO MAKE APRICOT PULP:
Stew apricots as for table use, drain and put fruit through sieve; set aside.

TO PREPARE BATTER:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, beating thoroughly. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well.

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.

Combine water, apricot juice, and apricot pulp. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sifted dry ingredients.

Fold in stiffly beaten whites. Pour into prepared pans.

Bake either in loaf pans at 350 F or layers at 375 F. Cool slightly, remove from pans and cool on rack.

Frost cooled cake with boiled icing.

BOILED ICING:
1 cup sugar
1 egg white, beaten
4 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla

Add the water to the sugar and boil until the syrup spins a thread.

Pour the hot syrup very slowly into the beaten white of egg, whipping constantly. Flavor with vanilla and spread the icing on the cake.

FOR CHOCOLATE ICING:
Add 2 Tbsp grated chocolate to the warm icing.

TO TINT ICING:
- Lemon juice will whiten icing.
- The grated rind of an orange will give a yellow color.
- Strawberry, raspberry or cranberry juice will give a pink shade.