The week before Christmas, the team celebrated the birthdays of two of the team members. This cake is a spin on the usual orange and almond cake. It is moist and delicious. Can be served warm with whipped cream as a dessert or at room temperature for a morning or afternoon tea. The bonus of this cake is it is both gluten and dairy free.

The recipe is by Nigella Lawson and was found on the BBC recipe web site.

Ingredients

150 g dried apricots

2 cardamon pods, cracked

200 g almond meal

50 g polenta (not instant)

1 tsp GF baking powder

150 g caster sugar

6 large free range eggs

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp rosewater

2 tsp apricot jam

1 tsp lemon juice

2 1/2 tsp finely chopped pistachios or almonds

1. Put the dried apricots and cracked cardamon pods in a small saucepan, cover with 250 ml cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 10 minutes; the apricots will absorb the water, but do not let the pan run dry. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (less for a fan forced oven, 160°C) and grease and line, with baking paper, the base and sides of a 22 cm springform cake tin.
3. Remove five of the dried apricots and slice in half as though butterflying the apricots. Remove the cardamon pods from the pan.
4. Scrape the dried apricots into the bowl of a food processor
5. Add the ground almonds, polenta, baking powder, sugar and eggs and blitz to combine.
6. Open the top of the processor, add the lemon juice and rosewater and blitz again.
7. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and smooth top of batter with a spatula.
8. Arrange apricot halves around the edge of the cake.
9. Cook the cake, in the middle of the oven, for approximately 50 minutes or until the top of the cake feels firm.
10. Allow the cake to cool in the tin sitting on a wire rack.
11. Warm the apricot jam a little and mix with the lemon juice, before brushing over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts
12. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla bean yoghurt, or leve to cool completely in tin before moving to a serving plate for afternoon tea.