# Apricot caramel cake

### Ingredients
 * 175 grams sugar
 * 120 milliliters water
 * 300 grams sugar
 * 600 milliliters water
 * 0.75 kilograms fresh apricots
 * 2 large eggs
 * 100 grams caster sugar
 * 100 grams butter
 * 60 grams cornflour
 * 75 grams self-raising flour
 * 1 teaspoons baking powder
 * 1 tablespoons ground almonds
 * chopped almonds, toasted

### Directions

Lightly grease a deep 23cm (9") cake tin.  

Put 175g sugar in a pan with 90ml of the water, stir over a low heat until dissolved, then boil hard to a rich caramel brown.  Off the heat, stir in the remaining 30ml water with a wooden spoon.  TAKE CARE - it will spit.  Pour into the lightly greased cake tin and set aside.

Make a syrup by boiling together the sugar and water for 5 minutes, then slip in the halved apricots.  When it returns to the boil, give it a minute to simmer, then turn the apricots over.  Remove them with a slotted spoon and pack them, cut side down, on top of the caramel.

Put all the cake ingredients together in a food processor or mixer, and whizz until smoothly blended.  If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of the apricot syrup to obtain a dropping consistency.   Spread carefully and evenly over the apricots.  Bake at 190C / Gas mark 5 for about 45 minutes.  Cool for a moment, then run a knife around the edge, put a serving plate over the top, and turn upside-down.  Scatter the top with chopped, toasted almonds and serve.


### Meta
author: Jane Grigson's Fruit Book

tags: Puddings and Desserts, Cakes and Biscuits