Apricot chocolate coffeecake

1/2  C             blanched Almonds -- chopped
   2      Sticks        butter Or margarine -- softened
   1      Pkg           Cream Cheese, (8 Oz) -- softened
   2 1/4  C             Sugar
     1/2  C             Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Prefer
   5                    eggs
   2 1/2  cups          cake flour
   2      teaspoons     baking powder
   1      teaspoon      baking soda
     1/2  teaspoon      salt
   6      ounces        apricots, dried -- chopped
   6      ounces        semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Genereously grease a 12-cup bundt pan. Scatter 1/4
cup
almonds over inside of pan. In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream
cheese,
and 1 3/4 cups sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy,
about 2 mins. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well
after each addition. 2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda,
and salt. Add to chocolate mixture. Beat with mixer on low until blended.
3. In
a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup almonds, remaining 1/2 cup sugar,
apricots, and chocolate chips. Spoon half of cake batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle 2/3 of apricot mixture over center of batter (mixture will burn if it
touches the sides or middle tube of pan). Spoon on remaining batter and
sprinkle
remaining apricot mixture on top. 4. Bake 50 to 55 mins, or until a cake
tester
inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan 15 to 20 mins, then
invert onto a rack to let cool completely before serving.