Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base of a cake tin with baking paper.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder and orange zest in a bowl.
3. In a separate larger bowl, using a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing well.
4. Stir in half the pistachios, then the flour mixture, then the milk whilst mixing the batter with a spatula.
5. Tip the batter into the cake tin and level the top.
6. Drain the apricots and reserve the juice.
7. Arrange the apricot halves on top of the cake.
8. Bake for about 35 minutes until light brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. In the meantime, heat the reserved apricot juice in a pan with the muscovado sugar. Simmer until it has reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
10. When the cake is baked and still warm, make little holes in the top with the skewer. Spoon and brush the syrup over the top. Scatter with the remaining pistachios. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.
11. Take the cake out of the tin. Serve it sliced with custard, ice cream or Greek yoghurt mixed with honey.