fixed-base 20cm/8in cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. To make the apricot layer, brush the sides of the tin with the melted butter. Arrange the apricot halves, cut-side up ...

cut-side up, and bake for 50 minutes–1 hour, covering loosely for the last 15 minutes to stop the top browning too much. You will know the cake is ready when a skewer inserted comes out clean.

While you may leave the complicated cutting to professional bakers, there's a technique that makes serving up large, round cakes a breeze ... you can lie crumb-side down to cut at an angle.

Place one cake layer on the cake plate, cut side up, making sure the wax paper is underneath the cake (this will keep the plate clean as you frost the cake). Frost the bottom layer, top with ...