Alison Holst's Apricot & Almond Cake

Ingredients

• 140g slivered almonds
• 20 (75g) Snax biscuits
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• whites of 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Comments

Use best quality dried fruit and nuts for this special dessert cake. Take care! If the biscuits are crushed too finely, the cake will be too firm and dry.

Method

Heat oven to 180°C (170°C fanbake), with the rack just below middle. Coat a 23cm ring pan with non-stick spray and line its base with baking paper or a Teflon liner.

Toast the almonds until straw coloured, by heating them in a shallow pan in the oven as it warms, or under a grill, then put them in a plastic bag with the biscuits. Bang the bag with a rolling pin until the biscuits are broken into small pieces but are not as fine as breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder and finely chopped apricots.

In a large, grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites until the peaks turn over. Add the sugar and beat again until the peaks stand up when the beater is removed. Beat in the vanilla essence. Fold the crumb mixture evenly through the meringue, then spoon the mixture into the prepared ring pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, then run a knife around the pan and carefully tip it out onto a rack. Top the cake with whipped cream and more nuts and apricots, several hours before serving.