Just the thing when you have a hungry horde coming over
Ingredients
- 150ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 350g self-raising flour
- 200g butter, melted
- 350g ripe apricot
For the topping
- 25g butter, melted
- 3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
- 3 rounded tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Method
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Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a 23cm-deep cake tin (preferably not loose-based, see tip below) and line the base with silicone or baking parchment. Mix the topping ingredients and spread over the base of the tin.
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Mix the milk and vanilla together. Put the sugar and eggs into a large bowl and whisk with a tabletop or hand electric mixer until the mixture is thick, pale and increased in volume, about 5 mins. Test it is ready by lifting the whisk blades – if the mixture briefly leaves a trail, you are ready to proceed.
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Add one-third of the flour and whisk slowly to incorporate, then one-third of the milk and mix again. Repeat twice more until all the flour and milk is added. Slowly whisk in the melted butter.
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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 hrs until the cake is firm to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed.
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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.