The Party Office

I love my job, and I love the people with whom I work. And I love that we find any excuse for a party.

Of course, party = baked goods in [almost] everyone's eyes. And almost everyone in the office enjoys baking, and is really good at it!

Birthdays. We all get to celebrate our birthday with the entire staff. Because there are now more than 30 staff members in the Honors College, each birthday celebration requires at least two desserts so that there is enough to go around. We all take turns baking something special for the birthday girl or boy, and the whole group sings to you... sometimes in harmony and sometimes in well-intentioned dissonance.

New Hires. New employees get a welcome party. Baked goods and other treats show up, the staff is called, and you feel warmly embraced by our family.

Engagements, Weddings, Babies. We are a young staff (I am one of a few exceptions), and this means lots of engagement, wedding, and birth celebrations. And, as you may have surmised, cake.

Departures. We hate to see our colleagues - our friends - depart for new horizons, but we wish them well and promise to keep in touch. And we do keep in touch, and are glad for Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype, and email. And we send them off with lots of extra calories in their stomachs in case there is a shortage of food where they are going.

Our good friend Jeff recently left Tucson for a wonderful position at Notre Dame - such a great opportunity for him, and such a sad loss for us. (Jeff, if you are reading, Leroy says hello!) So rare is the person whose humor is dry and witty, whose intelligence and common sense collide, whose willingness to do any-and-everything is unmatched, and whose friendship is a treasured gift.

That is Jeff. And when Jeff left, I baked a cake for him. (He generously shared it with other staff). Whenever one of us asked Jeff what he would like for his treat, he would say, "Anything." So "anything" is what I made him, with thanks to Giada De Laurentiis for the inspiration.

As part of the circle of life, friends and colleagues will get older, some will marry and have children, some will arrive bright-eyed, and others will leave for new opportunities. And we will continue to celebrate them all.

Party on!

~ David

Apricot Almond Cake
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

4 ounces ground almonds

1/2 cup pine nuts, divided
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and somewhat cooled
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.


Combine the ground almonds and 1/4 cup pine nuts in a food processor along with the flour, baking powder, and salt. Process until pine nuts are ground, and set aside.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs and the sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. Add the butter, and milk. Stir in the vanilla extract and apricots. Gently stir in the dry ingredients.


Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with sliced almonds and remaining 1/4 cup pine nuts. Bake until the cake is cooked and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 to 55 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack. Use a knife to loosen the edges. Turn the cake out onto a rack, then right side up, slice, and serve.


Makes 10-12 servings.

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