Eva Lawes' Pistachio and Apricot Cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃, grease and line two 8 inch round cake tins.
2. Cream together the unsalted butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, I use a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment for this but it can be done with a handheld or by hand with a wooden spoon and a powerful arm.
3. Crack the eggs in and mix in one at a time, add in a little of the flour to prevent curdling.
4. Sift the remaining dry ingredients together; flour, baking powder and salt. Add these to the batter in two stages and mix on a low speed until incorporated. Avoid over mixing as this will leave you with a dense stodgy cake.
5. Mix in the natural yoghurt, vanilla and pistachios.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tins, pop into the oven and bake for 30 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and leave tins to cool.
8. While you wait get working on the buttercream. Beat the unsalted butter in a mixer with a paddle attachment for 3-4 mins to make it fluffy and incorporate some air.
9. Sift in the Icing sugar and then beat these together until they combine and become a thick mess.
10. Add in the natural yoghurt and vanilla essence and beat until the frosting becomes smooth and fluffy.
11. Remove the Cakes from their tins when they are cool. Spread a layer of buttercream on one. Sprinkle chopped pieces of dried apricots over the buttercream the spread apricot jam on the bottom of the second layer of cake. Place this on top of the chopped apricots and sandwich them together.
12. Using the rest of the buttercream and a palette knife (if you don’t have a palette knife a spatula or butter knife will do) cover the sides and top of the cake.
13. Decorate! You can use fresh fruit, nuts, petals etc to decorate the cake however you wish!
14. Devour!

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