Late June is when apricots begin to appear in earnest, piled high on market stalls and often giving off that elusive, honeyed perfume that suggests they might actually taste as good as they smell. This simple traybake makes the most of them: the cake is soft and buttery, with soured cream lending tenderness and a gentle tang, while the apricots themselves slump slightly into the batter while they bake. The sugar, made fragrant with rosemary, orange zest and vanilla, forms a delicate crust on top.

Apricot traybake with rosemary, orange and vanilla sugar crust

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 8-10

250g caster sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
190g unsalted butter

For the rosemary-orange sugar crust
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Seeds from ½ vanilla pod
3 tbsp caster sugar

Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with greaseproof paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

To make the sugar crust, put the rosemary, orange zest, vanilla seeds and two tablespoons of the sugar into a mortar and pound until the mix resembles wet sand and smells deeply fragrant (alternatively, simply rub them all together with your fingertips). Stir in the remaining tablespoon of sugar and set aside.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the caster sugar and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, then rub with your fingertips until fragrant (this helps draw out the oils in the zest and perfumes the cake more evenly). Add the butter and beat on medium-high for about two minutes, until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as required, then beat in the vanilla.

In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and soured cream to the batter alternately in two or three stages, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix briefly until smooth and evenly combined.

Scrape the batter into the lined tin and smooth out the surface. Arrange the apricots cut side up on top, without overlapping (a neat four-by-six pattern works well if you’re using a rectangular tray). Don’t press them down into the batter, because they will settle naturally while the cake bakes. Sprinkle evenly with the rosemary-orange sugar and bake for 40–45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with pouring cream.