Apricot butter cake

For this apricot cake, first cream the room-temperature butter with the caster sugar and vanilla sugar into a pale, fluffy foam. It takes about 4 minutes and the mixture lightens noticeably.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, working each one in thoroughly before you add the next. The mixture must stay smooth and glossy, not curdled.

Mix the plain flour with the baking powder and sift it into the butter mixture. Fold it in only briefly so it just comes together, then add the milk a spoonful at a time until the batter softens to the thickness of a thick porridge.

Wash the apricots, halve them and remove the stones. Leave firmer pieces as halves and cut very ripe ones into quarters.

Spread the batter into a greased sheet pan or roasting tin lined with parchment paper and smooth it level. Choose a pan about 30 by 20 centimeters so the layer is not too thick.

Arrange the apricots cut-side up close together and press them lightly into the batter. They sink lower while baking, so place them densely.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the batter is golden and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the finished slab cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes, otherwise it tears when you cut it. Then cut it into squares.

Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar through a sieve. It is best lukewarm, with coffee or afternoon tea.