Annie Bell's Flourless Chocolate Apricot Cake

Every good deed deserves indulgence...

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   1. Grate the zest from the lemon and squeeze the juice. Place the apricots, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and juice and 200ml water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the mixture doesn’t catch, until the apricots are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the cinnamon stick and purée the apricots in a food processor. Transfer the purée to a bowl and leave to cool.
   2. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/375F/gas 5. Butter a 20cm loose-bottom cake tin, 9cm deep.
   3. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then fold in the ground almonds, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and the apricot purée. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40-50 minutes until deep gold on top. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out with just a few moist crumbs clinging. Run a knife around the edge and leave the cake to cool. Once cooled, ease it out of the tin.
   4. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt gently in a bowl set over a pan containing a little simmering water. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and whisk in the sour cream.
   5. Using a palette knife, coat the cake with the icing as smoothly as possible. Set aside on a plate or cake stand in a cool place to set for a few hours. The cake should keep in an airtight container in a cool cupboard for several days.