Apricot simnel cake

Ingredients

• melted butter and flour for the tin
• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 50g cream cheese
• 120g castor sugar
• 2 eggs, 60g each
• 50g ground almonds
• 50g sherry (or orange juice)
• 150g currants or chopped dried apricots
• 100g chopped crystallised or glace ginger
• 120g plain white flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 11 ripe or tinned small apricot, plum or peach halves
• flaked almonds for decoration
• about 60g marzipan

Directions

1. Brush the inside of a 23-centimetre fluted tart tin with melted butter, and dust evenly with flour.
2. Beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth, then beat in the eggs.
3. Stir in the ground almonds, sherry, currants and ginger evenly, stir in the flour and baking powder then spoon this mixture into the tin and spread across the base.
4. Press 11 drained apricot halves, cut-side upwards, around the mixture, sprinkle with flaked almonds and bake at 160C (fan-forced) for about 40 minutes.
5. Meanwhile roll out get 11 tiny balls of marzipan rolled, about five grams each. Remove the cake from the oven, place a ball of marzipan in each apricot and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer until golden. Allow to cool slightly Leave until warm before serving.