APRICOT CRUMBLE CAKE

■ Serves 8-10, prep 15 mins, cook 1 hour, 15 mins

WHAT YOU NEED

125g unsalted butter, chopped, at room temperature ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed ¼ cup caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla bean paste 3 free-range eggs, at room temperature ¾ cup buttermilk 1 cup self-raising flour ½ cup plain flour 820g can apricot halves in juice, well drained Thick vanilla custard, to serve

OAT CRUMBLE

75g cold, unsalted butter, chopped 1⁄₃ cup brown sugar, firmly packed ¼ cup plain flour ½ cup traditional rolled oats

1 Invert base of a 22cm round springform pan. Grease and line base and side with baking paper,

2 To extending paper 3cm above pan edge. make oat crumble, combine butter, sugar and flour in a food processor. Pulse to form coarse crumbs.

3 To Transfer to a bowl. Stir in oats. make cake, beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a small bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until

4 Add combined. Transfer to a large bowl. buttermilk and combined sifted flours, in two batches, stirring until combined. Spoon into prepared

5 Arrange pan. Smooth top. apricots, cut-side down, over top. Sprinkle evenly with crumble

6 Cook mixture. in a moderately slow oven (160°C) for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean. Remove. Stand in pan 20 minutes. Remove side of pan. Transfer

7 Serve cake to a serving plate. warm cake with custard.