Apricot & Almond Cake

This cake is my one of my favourites from my baking career - it’s so simple and rustic. It’s perfect for a quick snack with some coffee. You could swap out the fruit and toppings for other options if you would prefer. For example, once I made this cake with fresh plums and hazelnuts.

Ingredients (makes one 10” single layer cake)

250g unsalted butter, softened

250g caster sugar

5g almond extract

5 medium eggs // 4 large eggs (250g)

250g plain flour

7g baking powder

300g tinned or fresh apricots, de-stoned – half cut into slices, other half cut into chunks

75g amaretti biscuits

50g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C fan. Grease and line a 10” cake tin (springform tins are great for this recipe).

Cream the softened butter, caster sugar and almond extract in a stand mixer or with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.  It should look almost white in colour.

Add the eggs one at a time – mix each one in thoroughly before you add the next egg. 

While mixing in the eggs, weigh out the flour and baking powder. Fold through the dry ingredients until the mixture is homogenous.  Don’t over-mix the batter!

Fold through the apricot chunks until evenly mixed.

Add the cake mixture into a greased and lined tin – this recipe fills a 10” tin. Spread the apricot slices over the top of the cake, crumble over the amaretti biscuits and sprinkle on the flaked almonds.

 Bake in the preheated oven for 45 - 50 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Enjoy with some creme fraiche alongside a lovely coffee. This cake keeps really well - you could have a slice for breakfast with some berries and yoghurt.