Pistachio, Apricot and Rosewater cake

THIS cake is incredibly flavoursome and fragrant thanks to the rosewater but if you’re not a fan of them, soak the apricots in Earl Grey tea first – make sure you drain them well before you add them to the mixture.

Other good additions are one or two ground cardamom pods or a teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary needles – mix them into the batter when you add the other dry ingredients.

This cake keeps really well thanks to the dried apricots - they keep it really moist. Make sure you wrap it well in greaseproof paper or kitchen foil.

I cook this cake in a loaf tin but if you prefer a round cake then substitute the loaf tin for a circular 20cm spring form tin instead.

Ingredients

240g unsalted butter

240g caster sugar

4 eggs

90g ground almonds

90g ground pistachios

50g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp rosewater

120g dried apricots, roughly chopped

Glaze

Lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon

40g icing sugar

Big handful of pistachios, bashed

Method

Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale yellow and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, making sure each one is really well mixed in before adding the next.

Tip in the ground almonds and pistachios, the flour, baking powder and the rosewater and mix well until you have a reasonably loose batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Bake in the oven for around 45 - 50 minutes - you’ll know it’s done when a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool for 15 minutes then remove from the tin and turn out onto a wire rack.

Meanwhile make the glaze by warming the sugar and lemon juice together until all the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the lemon zest.

Pour the lemon and sugar mix over the cake and scatter over the bashed pistachios nuts.

If you want the glaze to soak into the cake, then make tiny holes all over the top with a skewer or cocktail stick before tipping the lemon mixture over. Leave for 10 minutes or so before slicing.