•Cake:
•Finely grated rind of one lemon
•Juice of one lemon = 1/4 cup
•3 1/2 pounds cream cheese, leave out to settle into room temperature
•1 1/4 cups sugar
•1/8 tsp. salt
•1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
•1 cup sour cream
•6 large eggs
•Topping:
•16 canned apricot halves
•1 cup apricot preserves
•1/4 cup sugar
•(optional - chopped green pistachio nuts, chopped, to sprinkle on top)

1.Adjust the oven rack to the lowest rung. Preheat oven to 400. Generously butter a 13 x 9 x 2" pan.
2.Mix the lemon rind into the lemon juice and set that aside.
3.In the mixer slowly beat the cream cheese until it is soft and smooth. Continually scrape the cheese down into the bowl while it beats.
4.Add the sugar. Gradually increase the mixer's speed to medium.
5.Next beat in the salt, vanilla extract, and the sour cream. Scrape down the mixture.
6.Beat in the eggs one at a time, just until the batter looks smooth.
7.Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the lemon mixture.
8.Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top gently with an offset spatula.
9.Place the pan in a larger BUT NOT DEEPER pan than the cake is in. Pour one inch of hot water into the larger pan. (Maida hint: if the larger pan is aluminum add 1/2 tsp cream of tartar to each quart of water to avoid the pan discoloring. Isn't she the best?!)
10.Bake for 45 minutes, until the top of the cake is golden. The sides will rise above the pan during baking so be careful -- remove the cake from the water pan and sit the cake on a cooling rack gently.
11.Do not chill the cake before removing it from the pan, that makes it difficult to remove the cake.
12.During cooling the cake will sink back to the pan's level.
13.Once cooled place a large board over the cake. This can be the cake tray you will serve from or a cutting board, etc.
14.Invert the cake carefully. At this point the cake gets refirgierated, at least a few hours or overnight.
15.Cut the cake into portions and then add the topping to each piece.
16.To cut the cake most easily run a long knife under hot water before each slice.
17.Topping:
18.Drain the apricots and set them on paper towels to drain.
19.Strain the preserves over a saucepan. Mix the sugar in and and heat until it boils. Let boil for two minutes.
20.Spread a little more than half of this mix over the cake. Top with an apricot half, cut side down, and then spread the rest of the topping over all. If you'd like, sprinkle a few of the chopped pistachios over the apricot.
21.Refrigerate the cake.
22.To serve - run the knife under hot water between slices and recut to make serving easy and neat.

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