Buckwheat and apricot cake

Serves 10 | Prep + cook: 1 hour

Kcals 338

Protein 7g

Fibre 2g

Carbohydrates 32g

Ingredients:

• 200g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 160g (1 1/3 cups) buckwheat flour
• 80g (generous 3/4 cup) ground almonds
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 150g (3/4 cup) light soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 400g (14oz) really ripe apricots, halved and stones removed
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over a low heat, then increase the heat until the butter is boiling. Let it boil for a few minutes - be patient and keep an eye on it as it can burn really easily - until it really starts to foam and become flecked with brown dots and smells nutty. Take it off the heat and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan/350°F/ Gas 4), and grease and line a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin with baking parchment.
3. Whisk together the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs and brown sugar with an electric hand whisk (or mixer, if you have one), until pale and fluffy and doubled in size. Drizzle in the cooled browned butter and vanilla extract, while whisking on high, until emulsified. Carefully fold in the flour mixture until just combined.
5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the surface over with a palette knife. Arrange the apricot halves on the surface, cut side up. Sprinkle over the caster sugar.
6. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the apricots are soft and slightly jammy and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool completely in the tin.
7. Once cool, remove from the tin, slice, and serve.