SERVES: 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes, including cooling
250 g (9 oz) softened butter, plus extra for greasing
250 g (9 oz) caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 g (3½ oz) self-raising flour, sifted
100g (3½ oz) shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
200 g (7 oz) ground almonds
250 g (9 oz) Greek yoghurt, preferably 0 per cent fat
400 g (14 oz) canned apricots, drained well and sliced
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted, for dusting
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Lightly grease a deep 23 cm (9 in) diameter cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth. (If the mixture starts to curdle a little, simply add a spoonful or two of the flour and carry on adding the egg.) Stir in the vanilla extract.
Fold in the flour, walnuts and ground almonds. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40–45 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10–15 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Cut the cake in half horizontally and spread the yoghurt over the base. Arrange the apricots on top. Sandwich with the remaining cake half and dust the top with icing sugar. To serve, cut into slices using a sharp knife. (The unfilled cake will keep for 1–2 days in an airtight container. Once filled, eat within a day.)