Apricot, almond and amaretto cake

This was the other cake I made today for Paddy's 80th birthday party at Butetown History and Arts Centre, where I'm a board member. On the way there, I thought this might have ended in disaster when the apricots looked as if they were going to slide off the top in an avalanche of whipped Amaretto cream, but luckily some emergency cake repairs in the kitchen on arrival sorted it out and it was demolished by guests very quickly - the fact that it was still a little warm (the source of the melting panic in transit!) in fact made this delicious, a warm, boozy, almondy pudding, delicately spiced with nutmeg and full of baked and fresh apricots, with a fresh, Greek yoghurt cream which lifted it perfectly. For me, this was the winner of the two! 

Ingredients

12 oz butter, softened

12 oz caster sugar

2 tsp almond extract

6 eggs

12 oz self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground nutmeg

7 oz ground almonds

6 tbsp Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

12 apricots, halved and stoned

For the icing

200ml double cream

4 tbsp Greek yoghurt

6 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

To decorate

Apricots, halved and stoned

Amaretti biscuits

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and line the base and sides of an 11 inch round springform cake tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar and almond extract until pale and fluffy.
3. Measure out the flour and set aside.
4. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, followed by a large spoonful of flour between each egg.  Beat well after each addition.
5. Sift in the remaining flour, baking powder, nutmeg and ground almonds, and beat to combine smoothly.
6. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the yoghurt and Amaretto.
7. Pour into the prepared cake tin, spreading it level.
8. Arrange the apricot halves, cut-side down, on top of the cake. 
9. Bake for 1 hour or until it is well risen and a cake tester comes out clean.
10. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
11. To make the icing, place the double cream and Greek yoghurt in a mixing bowl and sift in the icing sugar.  Beat with an electric whisk until thick, then add the Amaretto and fold in with a metal spoon.
12. Once the cake is cooled completely, top with the whipped cream and decorate with apricot halves and Amaretti biscuits.