Apricot and Almond Pudding Cake

Apricot and Almond Pudding Cake

The brief  but wonderful season for apricots is upon us and this recipe is sufficiently delicious to make the time to sit down and crack a few of those almonds languishing in the back of the store cupboard. If you have made this cake before you may even find you have offers of help to crack some almonds with you ....

So, firstly, crack those almonds!

You will need a 20cm cake tin, the base lined with baking parchment.
The oven needs to be preheated to 170C.

INGREDIENTS

150g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
75g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds

250g fresh apricots
25g unsalted butter
1 heaped tbsp granulated sugar

METHOD

Wash and quarter the apricots, taking out the stones. They are best if they are not too ripe.
Melt the 25g of butter in a frying pan on a low heat.
Add the granulated sugar and stir .
Add the apricots and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Leave to cool.

Beat the butter with the caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs slowly with a little of the flour to avoid curdling.
Add the remaining flour and the ground almonds and fold them in gently with a metal spoon.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Arrange the apricots on top and sprinkle the remaining juices from the pan over the top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool if you can restrain the people who helped you to crack the almonds for long enough. Otherwise, enjoy it hot with cream, custard or yoghurt!

With thanks to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage Everyday, whose original recipe for Apple and Almond Pudding Cake was the inspiration for this recipe.

Look out for more almond recipes on ecolocalalmeria.blogspot.com.es

And next time I make it I'll try to remember to take a photo to add to this blog, before it all disappears!