Apricot butter cake

Ingredients:

150ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

350g self-raising flour

200g butter, melted

350g ripe apricots

FOR THE TOPPING

25g butter, melted

3 tbsp light muscovado sugar

3 rounded tbsp toasted flaked almonds

Method:

1 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan. Butter a23cm-deep cake tin (preferably not loose-based, ) and line the base with silicone or baking parchment.

Mix the topping ingredients and spread over the base of the tin.

2 Mix the milk and vanilla together. Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl andwhisk with a tabletop or hand electric mixer until the mixture is thick, pale andincreased in volume, about 5 mins.Check if it is ready by lifting the whisk blades – if the mixture briefly leaves atrail, you are ready to proceed.

3 Add one-third of the flour and whisk slowly to incorporate, then one-third ofthe milk and mix again. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk is added.Slowly whisk in the melted butter.

4 Halve and stone the apricots. Place,cut-side down, in the base of the tin.Pour the cake batter over the top and slide into the oven. Bake for 1-1¼ hrsuntil the cake is firm to the touch andsprings back when lightly pressed.

5 Cool the cake in the tin for 20 mins,then carefully remove from the tin,peel off the lining paper and serve warm or cold