As promised in the cooking talkback segment on ABC radio Hobart yesterday, here is the recipe for a truly delicious, easy to bake apricot cake.

Apricot Cake

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

For the cake itself

1 egg

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup milk

1½ cups self-raising flour

80g butter, melted or 80ml vegetable oil

Finely grated rind 1 lemon (optional)

Apricot halves – fresh, preserved or tinned

For the topping

30g extra melted butter

2 teaspoons extra sugar

½ to 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method

Turn oven on to 160°C (fan forced).  Grease a 20cm round tin and line base with baking paper. Alternatively, for a slightly higher cake, use an 18cm tin.  In either case the tin should be 7 to 8cm deep.

Whisk the egg and sugar, then add the milk, flour and melted butter.  Whisk until smooth. (no need to be fussy about this, sometimes I do this with a hand held balloon whisk, other times I use the electric beater.

Mix through the grated lemon rind, if using

Pour the mixture into the tin. Top with the apricot halves and bake for 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave cake to stand in tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a cake cooler.  Turn right way up again (carefully), then brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and sugar.

The cake can be served warm or cold.