175g (6oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
125g (4oz) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
175g (6oz) self-raising flour
75g (3oz) ground almonds
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
For the icing
250g tub mascarpone
4Tbsp. apricot compote
40g (1½oz) icing sugar, plus extra to dust
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Grease two 18cm (7in) round sandwich tins and line with greaseproof paper.
Step 2
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Using a metal spoon, gently fold in the flour, ground almonds, lemon zest and juice. Stir until smooth.
Step 3
Divide the mixture between the tins, level the surface and bake for 15min or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 5min, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. To freeze, wrap each cake in greaseproof paper and clingfilm. Freeze for up to one month.
Step 4
If frozen, thaw overnight at cool room temperature. For the icing, beat the mascarpone and icing sugar together in a bowl. Spread over one of the cakes. Spoon the apricot compote evenly over and put the other cake on top. Dust with icing sugar.
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurstis our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
